UNIVERSITY  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINA 

School  of    Library 
Science 


o 


1 


*a& 


jt^£34*^^*^-£94*%^ 


—/? > 


rynt 


'7- 


"    \J 


*** 


e*  x    ..  <s,  ^ 


■v      ' 


\ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022094626 


THE  FALL  OF  MAX. 


Sunday  Afterno 


SUNDAY    AFTERNOONS 


IN    THE    NURSERY 


OR, 


FAMILIAR    NARRATIVES    FROM   THE 
BOOK    OF    GENESIS. 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "MINISTERING   CHILDREN,"  ETC. 


NEW    YORK: 

ROBERT     CAETEE     &     BROTHERS, 

530  Broadway. 

1S59. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/sundayafternoonsOOchar 


ttfxtt. 


N  this  little  work  the  simplest  narration  of  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  has  been  attempted,  com- 
bined with  a  brief  explanation  and  application  for  the 
use  of  children.  The  exquisite  simplicity  of  the  sacred 
narratives  renders  their,  transposition  into  other  words 
a  difficult  and  thankless  experiment.  A  selection  of 
circumstances,  we  know,  may  be  usefully  made  for  very 
young  children,  who  cannot  follow  the  endless  variety  of  the 
inspired  details  ;  but  in  proportion  as  these  details  increase  in 
tenderness  and  in  minuteness, — as,  for  instance,  in  the  history 
of  Joseph, — so  does  it  become  increasingly  impossible  and  hope- 
less to  change  the  garb  of  language  in  which  the  Divine  Spirit 
has  expressed  them.  "We  desire  to  attain  simplicity, — but  it 
may  be  this  is  best  secured  when  we  trust  infinite  Truth  to  its 
own  form  of  expression.  We  believe  that  holy  Scripture  is 
able  to  make  the  child  wise  unto  salvation  ;  while,  then,  we 
endeavor  to  explain  and  apply,  we  may  be  thankful  still  to 
leave  the  Divine  Word  to  make  its  own  direct  appeal  to  the 


Jy  PREFACE. 

heart:  "The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and 
they  are  life."  We  desire  that  the  child's  interest  may  be  so 
awakened  and  sustained,  as  that  he  may  return  again  and  again 
to  dwell  upon  the  sacred  record,  in  order  that  divine  truth 
may  be  written  and  engraven  on  his  mind  ;  if  we  wish  epitomes 
of  holy  Scripture  to  aid  in  this,  may  it  not  be  best  attained 
by  preserving  the  style  which  alone  possesses,  in  every  age  and 
in  every  clime,  "the  dew  of  its  youth?" 

St.  Olave's  Rectory. 


€  0  n  t  tn t  s . 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I. — The  Gardex  of  Edex, 7 

II. — The  Fall  op  Max, 13 

III. — Adam  axd  Eve  Drivex  from  Edex,         .        .        .        .19 

IT. — Caix  axd  Abel, 24 

Y.— The  Ark, 31 

YL— The  Flood, 36 

YII—  The  Rainbow. 43 

TIH — The  Tower  of  Babel, 48 

IX. — Abraham  axd  nis  Sox  Isaac, 55 

X. — Jacob's  Blessixg, .  G3 

XI. — Jacob's  Dream, 75 

XII. — Jacob  with  his  Uxcle  Labax 82 

XIII. — Jacob's  Retdrx, 89 

XIY— Joseph, 100 

XT— Joseph, 110 

XYI. — JosEpn  ix  Egypt, 119 

XTII. — Joseph  axd  Pharaoh, 131 

XYIII. — Joseph  axd  his  Brethrex, 142 

XIX. — Joseph  axd  his  Father, 1G2 


I. 

ffjje  ©itrtrnt  of  (Eimt, 


N  the   beginning   God   created   the    Heaven 
and  the  Earth. 

And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light  ;    and 
c#&)  there  was  light.      And  God  called  the  light 
^  Day  ;    and   the   darkness   He    called    Night. 
It  was  the  first  day  of  the  week  when  God 
made  the  light. 

God  made  the  blue  sky  above  our  heads,  and 
called  the  blue  sky  Heaven.  It  was  the  second 
day  of  the  week  when  God  made  the  blue  sky. 

God  made  the  waters  to  flow  together  from  off 
the  dry  land ;  and  called  the  dry  land  Earth,  and 
the  gathering  together  of  the  waters  He  called 
Seas.  God  made  the  Earth  to  bring  forth  grass, 
and  herbs,  and  fruit-trees.  And  God  saw  that  it 
was  good.     It  was  the  third  day  of  the  week  when 


8  THE     GARDEN     OF     EDEN. 

God  made  the  dry  land,  and  the  Sea,  the  grass,  the 
herbs,  and  the  trees. 

God  made  the  sun  and  the  moon ;  and  set  the 
sun  and  the  moon  in  the  Heavens ;  the  sun  to  give 
light  by  Day ;  and  the  moon  to  give  light  by 
Night.  He  made  the  stars  also  ;  and  God  saw  that 
it  was  good.  It  was  the  fourth  day  of  the  week 
when  God  made  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the 
stars. 

God  made  every  fish ;  and  every  bird ;  the  fish 
to  swim  in  the  water,  and  the  birds  to  fly  in  the 
open  air  under  the  blue  Heaven.  And  God  gave 
His  blessing  to  the  fish  and  to  the  birds ;  and 
He  commanded  the  fish  to  fill  the  Sea,  and  the 
birds  to  multiply  upon  the  land :  and  God  saw  that 
it  was  good.  You  can  hear  a  great  many  sounds 
in  the  World  now.  You  can  make  sounds,  you 
laugh  and  speak;  but  once  there  was  no  noise  in 
this  great  World,  no  sound  except  the  sweet  song 
of  the  birds  among  the  trees,  and  the  splash  of  the 
happy  fish  playing  in  the  water.  The  fishes  and 
the  birds  were  the  first  living  creatures  which  God 
made  on  the  earth.  It  was  the  fifth  day  of  the 
week  when  God  made  the  fishes  and  the  birds. 


T  II  E    G  A  R  DEN    OF    EDEN.  0 

God  made  all  the  cattle  of  the  fields  ;  and  all  the 
beasts;  and  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  ground :  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 
When  God  had  made  all  this  beautiful  World,  and 
the  fishes,  and  the  birds,  and  the  cattle,  and  the 
beasts,  and  the  creeping  things,  God  said,  Let  us 
make  man  in  our  Image,  after  our  Likeness.  And 
God  created  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and 
Man  became  a  living  soul.  And  God  blessed  man, 
and  gave  the  beautiful  World  to  him,  and  gave 
him  power  over  every  moving  thing.  God  gave 
the  herbs  of  the  ground,  and  the  fruit  of  the 
trees,  to  be  man's  food.  God  gave  the  green  herbs 
also  to  be  food  to  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  the 
birds  of  the  air,  and  to  everything  that  creepeth 
on  the  ground.  And  God  saw  all  that  He  had 
made,  and  behold  it  was  very  good.  It  was  the 
sixth  day  when  God  made  the  cattle,  and  the 
beasts,  and  the  creeping  things ;  and  when  God 
made  man  to  rule  over  them  all :  Thus  the  Hea- 
vens and  the  Earth  were  finished. 

God  made  the  World  and  every  living  creature 
in  six  days,  and  rested  on  the  seventh  day  from  all 


10  THE     GARDEN     OF     EDEN. 

His  work  which  He  had  made.  And  God  blessed 
the  seventh  day,  and  made  it  a  Holy  Day,  because 
on  the  seventh  day  God  rested  from  all  His  work, 
which  He  had  created  and  made. 

God  made  also  a  home  for  man  on  Earth :  this 
home  was  a  Garden,  more  beautiful  than  all  the 
World  beside.  In  this  Garden  the  Lord  God  made 
to  grow  every  tree  that  is  good  for  food,  and 
pleasant  to  the  sight.  In  the  midst  of  the  Garden 
grew  the  Tree  of  Life.  And  a  great  river  flowed 
through  the  Garden  to  water  it.  The  name  of  the 
Garden  was  Eden.  And  the  Lord  God  took  the 
man,  and  put  him  into  the  Garden  of  Eden  ;  the 
Man  was  not  to  be  idle ;  he  was  to  take  care  of  the 
trees,  and  fruit,  and  the  flowers.  And  the  Lord 
God  commanded  the  man,  saying,  Of  every  tree  of 
the  Garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat,  but  of  the  Tree 
of  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat 
of  it,  for,  in  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt 
surely  die.  The  man  might  eat  the  fruit  of  all  the 
trees  but  one  :  there  was  only  one  tree  which  God 
commanded  him  not  to  touch :  it  was  called  the 
Tree  of  the  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil. 

God  called  the  man,  Adam.     Adam  was  alone  in 


T  HE     GARDEN     OF     EDEN.  11 

the  beautiful  Garden,  lie  had  no  friend  and  com- 
panion on  earth.  And  God  said  it  was  not  good 
for  man  to  be  alone,  and  He  would  make  a  com- 
panion and  helper  for  him.  Then  the  Lord  God 
brought  every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  every  bird  of 
the  air  to  Adam,  to  see  what  he  would  call  them, 
and  Adam  gave  names  to  all  the  living  creatures; 
but  there  was  no  companion  found  for  him.  And 
the  Lord  God  caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon 
Adam,  and  took  one  of  his  ribs,  and  closed  up  the 
flesh  instead  thereof,  and  the  rib  which  the  Lord 
God  had  taken  from  Adam,  made  He  a  woman,  and 
brought  her  unto  Adam.  And  Adam  called  her 
name  Eve. 

Adam  and  Eve  lived  together  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  They  were  the  obedient  children  of  the 
Lord  God,  therefore  they  were  happy.  There  was 
no  trouble  in  the  World  then,  because  there  was  no 
disobedience.  Adam  and  Eve  were  obedient  to 
God,  therefore  the  creatures  were  all  obedient  to 
them.  The  lion  and  the  tiger  were  as  gentle  as  the 
faithful  dog.  The  little  lamb  was  not  afraid  to  lie 
down  to  sleep  close  by  the  side  of  the  wolf.  The 
bee  and  the  wasp  had  no  angry  sting.    Eve  listened 


12  THE     GARDEN     OF     EDEN. 

to  the  sweet  songs  of  the  birds  among  the  trees, 
and  when  she  went  up  to  them  they  did  not  fly 
away  in  fear,  as  they  will  now  if  they  hear  your 
step,  or  see  you  coming  near.  There  were  no 
weeds  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  ;  no  sharp  thorns  and 
prickling  thistles  there  ;  the  flowers  grew  up  with- 
out being  planted,  and  their  sweetness  filled  the 
air.  The  ripe  fruit  hung  from  the  trees,  and  God 
gave  all  to  Adam  and  Eve,  all  except  one  tree,  the 
Tree  of  the  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil.  They 
might  not  touch  that  tree,  for  God  had  commanded 
them  not  to  touch  it.  They  had  no  need  even  to 
look  at  that  tree,  for  there  were  more  trees  beside 
that  one,  than  we  could  even  remember  to  name. 
Every  sight  was  beautiful,  and  every  sound  was  full 
of  peace  and  joy,  because  every  thing  was  very 
Good. 

How  excellent  are  thy  ivorks !   in  wisdom  hast 
thou  made  them  all. — Psalm  civ.  24. 


II. 

C&e  fall  of  llaii. 

s^)  OU  have  heard  of  the  wicked  Tempter,  that 
evil  spirit  called  Satan.  He  was  once  a 
holy,  happy  angel  in  Heaven ;  but  he  re- 
belled against  God,  and  he  was  cast  out 
from  Heaven,  and  all  the  disobedient  an- 
gels, who  had  been  rebellious,  with  him;  no 
evil  thing  can  find  any  place  in  Heaven.  Satan 
still  continued  a  wicked  Tempter.  He  saw  how 
happy  Adam  and  Eve  were  in  the  beautiful  Garden 
of  Eden,  and  he  thought  he  would  try  and  persuade 
them  to  be  disobedient,  that  he  might  make  them 
as  miserable  as  himself.  God  knew  what  Satan 
thought  to  do,  and  God  permitted  it,  to  try  whether 
Adam  and  Eve  would  remember  His  Commandment 
to  do  it,  or  whether  they  would  listen  to  the  wicked 
Tempter,  and  be  disobedient.  Satan  came  into  the 
Garden,  and  he  hid  himself  in  a  serpent,  that  he 


14  THE     FALL     OF     MAN. 

might  the  more  easily  persuade  Eve  to  listen  to 
him.  Then  he  talked  to  Eve,  and  tempted,  her  to 
disobey  the  command,  of  God.  Eve  did  not  run 
away  ;  she  did  not  refuse  to  hear.  No ;  she  talked 
with  the  Tempter  ;  she  knew  his  words  were 
wicked,  because  they  tempted  her  to  disobey  God, 
and  yet  she  listened.  At  last  she  looked  at  the  for- 
bidden fruit,  and  when  she  looked,  she  longed  for 
it ;  and  then  she  put  forth  her  hand  and  took  of  the 
fruit,  and  did  eat,  and  she  gave  also  to  her  husband 
with  her,  and  he  did  eat.  They  turned  from  the 
holy  Commandment  delivered  to  them,  and  became 
disobedient.  Now  they  were  guilty  sinners  before 
God,  instead  of  being  His  holy,  happy,  obedient 
children. 

When  the  cool  evening  came,  they  heard  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  God  walking  in  the  Garden ;  and 
Adam  and  his  wife  hid  themselves  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  anions  the  trees  in  the  Garden. 
And  the  Lord  God  called  unto  Adam,  and  said 
unto  him,  Where  art  thou  ?  And  Adam  said,  I 
heard  Thy  voice  in  the  Garden,  and  I  was  afraid. 
Adam  knew  that  he  was  guilty,  his  heart  trembled 
with  fear,  and  he  was  afraid  of  God's  judgments. 


THE     FALL     OF     MAN.  15 

Satan  was  full  of  cruel  triumph — lie  thought  lie  had 
made  Adam  and  Eve  as  miserable  as  himself — lie 
thought  he  had  destroyed  the  works  of  God.  But 
Satan  did  not  know  the  power  of  God's  love.  Sa- 
tan knew  the  power  of  God's  anger,  for  it  had  made 
him  foil  as  swift  as  lightning  from  Heaven  ;  but 
he  did  not  know  that  God's  love  was  as  strong  as 
His  anger.  God's  anger  had  driven  the  wicked 
Tempter  down  from  Heaven  ;  but  God's  love  would 
raise  and  lift  up  poor  "  broken-hearted"  sinners  to 
that  blessed  and  holy  Heaven  from  which  Satan 
had  been  driven  away  for  ever. 

Adam  and  Eve  stood  guilty  and  afraid  before 
God,  and  the  Tempter  stood  with  them.  God 
talked  with  Adam  and  Eve.  He  asked  them  what 
they  had  done,  and  He  suffered  them  to  tell  him  all 
that  their  fear  led  them  to  say.  But  God  did  not 
talk  with  the  wicked  Tempter ;  God  spoke  to  him, 
but  it  was  in  dreadful  punishment,  and  Satan  could 
not  answer.  The  Curse  of  God  fell  first  upon  the 
Tempter.  God  spoke  it  with  His  own  lips,  dread- 
ful to  hear,  but  oh  how  dreadful  to  bear,  and  to 
bear  for  ever  !  Then  the  curse  of  God  fell  on  the 
beautiful  Earth.      God  had  made  it  "  very  good," 


16  THE     FALL     OF     MAN. 

because  it  was  the  home  of  His  obedient  children ; 
but  now  they  had  become  disobedient  and  unholy, 
and  they  could  no  longer  have  the  same  peaceful 
dwelling-place.  God  said  to  Adam,  Cursed  is  the 
ground  for  thy  sake.  The  sweet  flowers  died  be- 
neath their  Creator's  Curse,  and  thorns  and  thistles 
grew  up  in  their  place.  The  beasts  no  longer  ate 
the  grass  and  herbs,  they  grew  wild  and  fierce ; 
they  would  no  longer  obey  man,  but  roamed  away, 
and  devoured  one  another.  The  birds  grew  wild 
and  full  of  fear  ;  afraid  of  man,  and  afraid  of  one 
another.  The  whole  creation  groaned  beneath  the 
Corse  of  God  for  man's  sin. 

The  Tempter  had  been  the  first  to  feel  God's 
Curse.  It  had  fallen  next  upon  the  Earth,  because 
of  man's  sin.  And  now  Adam  and  Eve  could  only 
expect  that  it  must  come  down  upon  them,  for 
theirs  had  been  the  act  of  disobedience.  But  even 
while  they  stood  before  God,  trembling  and  afraid, 
God  took  their  Sin  and  their  Curse,  and  laid  them 
on  His  own  beloved  Son.  We  learn  this  from  two 
things  the  Bible  tells  us.  First,  God  told  the  wo- 
man that  her  seed  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head. 
Now,  the  serpent's,  or  Satan's  head,  was  bruised, 


TILE      FALL     OF     MAN.  17 

long  after,  by  Jesus,  the  seed  of  the  woman.  Again, 
God  made  for  Adam  and  his  wife,  coat 5  of  skins, — 
so  that  some  beasts  must  have  been  killed.  And 
soon  after,  we  read,  that  Abel,  Adam's  son,  offered 
unto  God  the  firstlings  of  his  flock.  Thus  we  see 
that  God  taught  Adam  to  sacrifice  a  lamb,  looking 
forward  to  Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  should 
take  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  The  blessed  Jesus 
became  the  Lamb,  or  sacrifice  of  God,  willingly. 
He  bore  man's  Sin,  and  God's  Curse,  in  His  own 
Body  on  the  Cro=s.  He  died  for  our  sins,  and  rose 
again  for  our  justification.  The  Lord  Jesus  takes 
away  the  sins  of  all  who  go  to  Him  ;  therefore  all 
such  will  never  feel  the  Curse  of  God.  Adam  and 
Eve  looked  up  to  Him,  and  He  took  away  their 
sin,  and  bore  the  Curse  for  them.  If  you  ask  Him, 
He  will  take  away  all  your  sin,  and  then  you  will 
feel  the  Blessing,  and  not  the  Curse  of  God.  He 
never  refused  to  bear  the  sins  of  any  poor  sinner. 
who  went  to  Him,  for  God  gave  Him  to  be  the 
Saviour  of  all  those  who  put  their  trust  in  Him. 
But  those  who  will  not  go  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  must 
bear  their  own  sins ;  and  then,  when  they  stand 
before  God,  in  their  sins,  God's  dreadful  Curse  will 


IQ  THE     FALL     OF     MAN. 

fall  upon  them  for  ever,  and  no  blessed  Saviour 
near  When  you  do  wrong,  you  must  tell  your 
Saviour  about  it,  and  ask  Him  to  take  your  sins 
away.  In  Heaven  there  will  be  no  more  Curse, 
because  there  will  be  no  more  sin. 

The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  GocVs  Son,  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin. — 1  John,  i.  7. 


ADAM  AND  EVE  DRIVEN  FROM  EDEN. 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


Ill 


strain  ani  (Bbc  JJrilmt  from  (£hn. 


OD  laid  man's  Sin  and  man's  Curse  on  His 
own  beloved  Son  ;  but  Adam  and  Eve  must 
leave  their  beautiful  home  in  Eden.  God 
had  made  it  for  His  obedient  children ;  it 
was  no  place  for  Sinners.  God  forgave 
their  sin,  for  His  dear  Son's  sake,  who  bore 
the  Curse  for  them ;  but  they  had  now  to  learn 
what  Sin  is — they  had  rebelled  against  God,  and  all 
creation  would  now  rebel  against  them.  They  had 
listened  to  the  Tempter,  and  now  the  same  Tempter 
would  always  be  near  to  tempt  them  again,  and 
they  must  learn  by  their  Saviour's  help  to  resist 
him,  tliey  must  learn  how  to  make  the  Tempter 
flee  from  them  by  prayer  to  God  against  him  ;  they 
must  learn  to  overcome  evil ;  and,  above  all,  they 
must  learn  that  they  had  now  no  power  in  themselves 


20  ADAM     AND     EVE 

to  help  themselves,  but  that  only  in  God's  beloved 
Son  had  they  righteousness  and  strength. 

Adam  and  Eve  were  driven  out  from  Eden, 
and  an  Angel  with  a  flaming  sword  kept  the  way 
against  all  return.  They  wandered  forth  into  the 
lonely  world,  there  to  labor  and  toil  for  their  daily 
bread.  The  beautiful  trees  no  longer  hung  with 
ripe  fruit  over  their  heads  ;  thorns  and  thistles 
grew  up  around  them,  instead  of  plants  for  food. 
They  could  not  look  down,  or  around,  or  above 
them,  without  being  reminded  of  their  sin.  Storms 
gathered  in  the  sky,  instead  of  the  refreshing  dew 
from  the  Lord,  which  used  to  water  Eden.  They 
heard,  for  the  first  time,  the  angry  roar  of  the  wild 
beasts ;  and  the  fierce  cry  of  the  hungry  bird  of 
prey,  and  they  watched  it  pursue  some  little  gentle 
bird  of  song,  which  was  afraid  to  fly  to  them  for 
protection ;  and  as  they  stood  and  saw  it  die,  they 
could  only  feel  that  but  for  their  sin  it  had  never 
known  terror  or  death.  The  serpent  crawled  along 
the  ground ;  and  the  Tempter  was  always  near  to 
persuade  them  to  fresh  acts  of  sin.  And  now  they 
began  to  feel  weariness  and  pain,  reminding  them 
that  God  had  said  their  bodies  must  decay  and  die, 


DRIVEN      FROM      E  I)  E  X .  21 

nncl  return  to  the  dust  from  which  they  were  taken. 
A  heart  within  them,  whose  own  holiness  was  lost ; 
a  body  hastening  to  the  grave  ;  a  world  around 
them  whose  peace  was  gone  ;  all  bore  witness  to 
them  of  the  guilt  of  their  disobedience.  But  they 
were  not  left  comfortless  ;  there  was  one  still  small 
voice  which  whispered  in  their  hearts  of  a  Saviour, 
of  Forgiveness,  of  Heaven  :  this  was  the  voice  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Comforter.  And  they  thought 
of  the  promise  which  God  had  given  them,  that  a 
Child  should  be  born  into  their  lost  world,  who 
should  bruise  the  head  of  their  great  enemy  Satan, 
so  that  he  should  one  day  be  stripped  for  ever  of 
his  power  to  tempt  and  to  deceive.  And  sometimes 
in  the  evening  time,  when  Adam  and  Eve  were 
tired  with  the  labor  of  the  day,  and  sat  down  to 
rest  in  the  cool  shade ;  and  when  the  heavens 
looked  calm  and  blue  as  they  used  to  do  in  Eden, 
and  they  saw  the  sweet  lilies  of  the  field  still  spring- 
ing up,  though  among  the  thorns  ;  and  some  little 
bird,  in  the  trees  above  their  heads,  would  begin 
it i  evening  song  of  praise  to  its  great  Creator — the 
flowers  of  the  field  and  the  little  bird  Avould  be 
messengers  of  peace  to  them,  witnesses  to  the  love 


22  ADAM      AND      EVE 

of  God,  who  in  judgment  had  remembered  mercy, 
and  had  left  these  tokens  of  His  love  and  blessing 
to  cheer  them  in  their  way  to  Heaven  ;  and  they 
must  have  wept,  not  for  their  lost  Eden,  but  for 
grief  that  they  had  sinned  against  a  God  of  love, 
and  for  thankfulness  and  joy  that  God  had  found  a 
way  of  escape  for  them ;  a  way  by  which  they 
might  pass  from  sin  and  death  to  His  own  holy 
Heaven,  even  through  the  blood  of  His  beloved 
Son. 

Adam  and  Eve  had  to  learn  many  sorrowful  les- 
sons, but  they  were  all  needful  lessons,  teaching 
them  their  danger  and  their  weakness.  They 
thought  before,  that  they  could  listen  to  evil  with- 
out being  led  into  it ;  but  now  they  found  there 
was  no  safety  away  from  their  Heavenly  Keeper's 
side.  Do  you  know  why  the  little  child  takes  such 
tight  hold  of  our  finger  when  it  tries  to  walk  ?  It 
is  because  it  knows  that  it  will  fall  down  if  it  does 
not  hold  fast ;  and  this  was  the  truth  that  Adam 
and  Eve  learned.  They  had  been  walking  alone, 
and  they  fell,  and  they  could  never  have  risen 
up  again,  if  God  had  not  sent  them  a  Mighty 
Helper,   even  His  own  beloved  Son.      The  Lord 


DRIVEN      FROM      EDEN.  23 

Jesus  lifted  them  up  again,  and  they  took  hold  of 
His  hand,  a'ld  lie  led  then  safely  through  life,  and 
through  death,  up  to  His  Father's  bright  kingdom 
in  Heaven,  and  they  are  safe  there  now  for  ever. 
The  law  of  God  is  written  in  their  hearts,  and  none 
of  their  steps  can  tlide. 

If  you  walk  by  yourself,  you  will  not  only  fall 
into  disobedience,  but  you  will  have  no  Saviour 
with  you  to  wash  you  from  your  sin.  You  must 
go  to  the  Son  of  God,  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  ask  Him 
to  hold  you  up,  to  teach  you,  by  His  Holy  Spirit, 
to  wash  you  in  His  precious  blood,  and  to  lead  you 
to  Heaven  :  then  you  also  will  be  safe  for  ever. 

Jesus  said,  Suffer  Utile  children,  and  forbid  them 
not,  to  come  unto  me ;  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven. — Matt.  xix.  14. 


IV. 

Cain  iini   %iiU 


&* 


Im? 


FTER  Adam  and  Eve  had  been  sent  away 
from  the  Garden  of  Eden,  God  gave  them 
a  son,  and  they  called  his  name  Cain  ;  and 
after  this,  another  son,  and  they  called  his 
name  Abel.  When  Cain  and  Abel  were  in- 
fants, their  mother  carried  them  in  her  arms ; 
and  as  they  grew  older,  they  played  together  at  her 
side.  When  the  boys  grew  up,  Cain  worked  in  the 
fields  with  his  father,  and  Abel  took  care  of  the 
sheep  and  lambs.  The  lion  and  the  wolf  were  wild 
and  fierce  now,  and  Abel  had  to  watch  over  his 
sheep,  to  keep  them  safe  from  the  hungry  beasts. 
Abel  would  love  to  hear  his  mother  tell  him  about 
Eden,  where  the  beasts  of  prey  were  as  gentle  as 
his  own  lamb^.  He  must  often  have  wished  that 
he  could  go  back  with  his  father  and  mother  t% 


/    I 


CAIX  AND  ABEL. 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


CAIN      AND      ABEL.  25 

Eden,  ami  lead  his  sheep  and  lambs  to  feed  in  its 
green  pastures,  and  to  lie  down  by  its  still  waters, 
safe  from  the  wild  beasts  of  prey.  But  his  parents 
taught  him  that  he  might  one  day  go  to  a  place 
happier  far  than  Eden,  even  to  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  where  God  their  Heavenly  Father  dwelt. 
And  no  lion  would  be  there,  nor  any  ravenous 
beast  enter  therein ;  but  God's  redeemed  would 
walk  there,  with  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads ; 
there  they  would  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sor- 
row and  sighing  would  flee  away.  They  told  him 
of  God's  puomise,  and  Abel  believed  to  the  saving 
of  his  soul.  Cain  heard  his  parents'  instruction  as 
well  as  Abel,  but  he  did  not  attend  to  their  words, 
nor  lay  up  their  commandments  with  him.  A  wise 
son  heareth  his  father's  instructions  ;  but  a  scorner 
heareth  not  rebuke. 

When  Adam  and  Eve  were  in  Eden,  they  wor- 
shipped God  as  the  pure  and  holy  children  of  God  ; 
but  now  they  were  no  longer  pure  and  holy  ;  they 
had  opened  their  hearts  to  sin,  and  they  had  no 
power  to  get  it  out  again.  God  will  not  even  look 
upon  sin ;  nothing  that  is  defiled  with  sin  can  ap- 
pear before  Him;  therefore,  Adam  and  Eve,  and 

3 


26  CAIN     AND     ABEL. 

every  one  upon  this  earth,  must  have  been  for  ever 
shut  out  from  the  presence  of  God,  if  God  had  not 
made  a  way  for  sinners  to  come  near  unto  Him, 
even  through  the  blood  of  His  beloved  Son.  Who- 
ever goes  to  God  through  the  blood  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  has  all  his  sin  washed  away  by  that  precious 
blood,  and  can  then  stand  before  the  Holy,  heart- 
searching  God  without  spot.  The  little  infant  en- 
ters Heaven  through  the  blood  of  Jesus.  The  holy 
minister  enters  Heaven  through  the  blood  of  Jesus. 
You  are  a  sinful  child,  but  God  will  receive  you  as 
His  own  dear  child,  if  you  go  to  Him  through  the 
blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  God  gave  to  Adam  and 
Eve  a  promise  of  this  blessed  Saviour,  but  the  Lord 
Jesus  did  not  come  into  the  world  to  suffer  death 
till  many  years  had  passed  away ;  therefore  God 
taught  Adam  a  way  by  which  to  show  forth  the 
death  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  his  hope  in  Him. 
Adam  was  taught  by  God  to  take  a  lamb  from  the 
fold,  then  to  build  up  a  square  pile  of  large  stones, 
called  an  Altar,  and  to  kill  the  lamb,  and  when  the 
blood  of  the  lamb  had  been  shed,  then  to  offer  up 
the  lamb  by  fire  on  the  altar,  as  a  sacrifice  to  God. 
When  Adam  did  this,  he  showed  that  he  looked  to 


C  A  I  N     A  N  D     A  B  E  L  .  27 

the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  the  only  way  by 
which  lie  could  draw  near  to  God. 

Cain  and  Abel  were  born  with  sinful  heart?,  be- 
cause they  were  the  children  of  sinful  parents. 
When  they  were  young,  they  stood  by  the  altar 
their  father  built,  and  he  offered  up  a  sacrifice  for 
them  and  for  himself:  but  when  they  grew  older, 
they  must  each  of  them  show  that  they  felt  their 
own  sin,  and  believed  the  promise  of  God,  by  offer- 
ing up  a  lamb  each  for  himself.  But  Cain  did  not 
feel  his  sin,  he  did  not  think  upon  the  promise  God 
had  given  ;  he  thought  he  could  go  to  the  Holy 
Lord  God  without  the  blood  of  Christ :  he  took 
some  fruit  in  his  hand  as  an  offering  to  the  Lord ; 
but  the  Lord  would  not  accept  him  nor  his  offering. 
Abel  felt  his  sin — Abel  went  through  the  blood  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  to  God,  he  believed  the  promise  of 
God,  he  obeyed  the  Command  of  God.  He  went  to 
the  flock,  and  took  from  it  a  lamb,  the  firstling  of 
the  flock,  and  he  offered  it  up  a  sacrifice  to  God ; 
and  the  Lord  accepted  Abel  and  his  offering. 

When  Cain  saw  that  his  brother  was  accepted  by 
God,  and  that  he  was  not ;  instead  of  following  his 
brother's  good  example,   he   was   angry,  and   his 


28  CAIN     AND     ABEL. 

countenance  fell ;  lie  looked  gloomy  and  sullen. 
There  was  no  Bible  then,  therefore  God  in  mercy 
talked  with  Cain,  and  asked  him  why  his  counte- 
nance was  fallen ;  and  encouraged  him  now  to  do 
well,  as  Abel  had  done,  and  that  then  he  also  should 
be  accepted.  But  Cain  had  opened  his  heart  to  the 
wicked  Tempter,  and  he  would  not  listen  to  the 
holy  words  of  God's  mercy. 

Cain  would  not  listen  to  the  words  of  God,  he 
would  not  go  to  the  blood  of  Jesus ;  therefore  sin 
grew  stronger  and  stronger  within  him,  till  Satan 
the  wicked  Tempter  filled  his  heart,  and  when  he 
was  in  the  field  with  Abel  his  brother,  he  rose  up 
against  him  and  killed  him.  Abel  fell  dead  upon 
the  ground,  killed  by  his  brother's  hand ;  his  blood 
was  spilt  upon  the  earth,  but  his  happy  spirit, 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  rose  up  to  God,  and 
stood  holy  and  without  blame  before  Him  in  love. 
Happy  Abel !  he  was  the  first  to  enter  Heaven ;  he 
found  the  blood  of  Jesus  a  safe  and  blessed  way 
straight  to  the  throne  of  God.  God  has  made 
Abel  to  speak  to  us  in  the  Bible,  and  to  teach  us 
that  the  only  way  to  God  is  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  wj[iich  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 


CAIN     AND    ABEL.  29 

Then  the  Lord  God  spoke  again  to  Cain,  but  it 
was  in  wrath,  and  not  in  mercy  now.  The  Curse 
of  God  came  down  on  Cain.  That  dreadful  Curse 
which  God  had  lifted  up  from  sinful  man,  and  laid 
on  His  own  beloved  Son,  Cain  pulled  back  again 
upon  his  guilty  head.  And  Cain  went  out  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  "  The  wicked  is  driven 
away  in  his  wickedness ;  but  the  righteous  hath 
hope  in  his  death." 

Cain  had  rooted  up  the  thorns  and  thistles  from 
the  ground  all  his  life ;  but  he  had  not  rooted  up 
the  evil  tempers  from  his  heart.  You  can  root  up 
weeds  from  the  garden,  you  could  root  up  thistles 
from  the  field  ;  but  if  you  do  nothing  more  than 
this,  you  are  only  doing  what  Cain  did.  Cain  did 
nothing  in  his  own  heart ;  he  let  evil  thoughts  grow 
there,  till  they  proved  his  destruction.  When  a 
disobedient  thought  rises  in  your  heart,  or  a 
thought  of  pride,  or  an  unkind  thought,  Oh !  go  at 
once  to  your  Saviour,  speak  in  your  heart  to  Him, 
and  ask  Him  to  wash  you  in  His  precious  blood, 
and  to  take  the  sinful  thought  away.  If  you  are 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  you  will  be 


30  CAIN     AND     ABEL. 

like  the  blessed  Abel,  whose  hope  was  in  his  Sa- 
viour, and  who  is  now  with  God  in  Heaven. 

These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribida- 
tio?t,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
ivhite  in  the  Blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  they  are 
before  the  throne  of  God. — Rev.  vii.  14,  15. 


NOAH  LEAVING  THE  AUK. 


Sunday  AfiemooiiB. 


€  1]  z 


v. 


o 


Qvfrtfl  ^-^  Evie^  an<^  anguish  must  have  filled  the 
fpJJuljjp  hearts  of  Adam  and  Eve  when  they  stood 
!^,vjM.    mourning  over  their  dead  son,  killed  by 

¥his  brother's  hand!  All  God's  commands 
are  for  our  good ;  but  Adam  and  Eve  had 
•^  believed  Satan's  lie,  they  would  eat  of  the 
Tree  of  the  knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil,  which 
God  had  told  them  not  to  touch — and  they  found 
that  all  the  knowledge  it  could  give  them,  was  the 
knowledge  of  how  all  good  may  be  lost,  and  the 
knowledge  of  how  all  evil  may  be  brought  upon  us. 
Abel  lay  dead  before  them,  he  could  not  speak  to 
them,  nor  hear  their  voice,  nor  feel  their  love  and 
sorrow  ;  they  must  bury  him  out  of  their  sight :  and 
Cain  had  fled  away  with  the  dreadful  Curse  of  God 
upon   him,   that  curse  which   they  dreaded  more 


32  THE     ARK. 

than  death.  But  God's  sweet  mercy  was  with  them 
still.  Abel  was  washed  in  his  Saviour's  blood  ;  he 
was  the  first  of  "The  holy  army  of  Martyrs,"  slain 
for  the  word  of  God,  and  the  testimony  which  he 
held  ;  and  he  was  gone  to  wear  the  white  robe,  and 
to  rest  in  his  Saviour's  presence,  till  all  the  number 
of  God's  faithful  people  shall  be  gathered  from 
the  Earth;  then  Abel,  in  his  grave,  will  hear  his 
Saviour's  call,  and  his  dead  body  will  arise,  and 
come  forth,  made  like  unto  his  Saviour's  glorious 
body,  to  dwell  with  Christ  in  Heaven  for  ever. 

After  the  death  of  the  blessed  Abel,  God  gave 
Adam  and  Eve  another  son,  and  his  mother  called 
him  Seth,  for  she  said  God  had  given  her  another 
son  instead  of  Abel,  whom  Cain  slew.  And  she 
was  right — Seth  was  the  child  of  God's  mercy  and 
grace.  The  Virgin  Mary,  the  mother  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour,  was  one  of  the  daughters  of  Seth  :  all 
the  people  who  dwell  upon  the  earth  now  are  the 
children  of  Seth  ;  but  they  are  not  all  the  children 
of  God's  mercy,  as  Seth  was.  You  are  the  child  of 
Seth.  God  grant  that  you,  like  Seth,  may  be  a 
child  of  God's  mercy  and  grace  to  a  sinful  world! 

Adam   lived   nearly   eight   hundred  years  after 


THE      ARK.  33 

God  had  given  him  Seth  to  be  his  son ;  then  Adam 
died  ;  washed  in  his  Saviour's  blood,  he  entered 
into  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  blessing  of 
God  rested  on  the  children  of  Seth,  and  he  lived  to 
see  a  son  born  as  his  descendant,  who  left  this 
world  without  dying :  his  name  was  Enoch  :  he 
walked  with  God  in  holy  obedience  and  love  :  he 
walked  with  God  three  hundred  years  upon  Earth, 
and  then  he  was  not,  for  God  took  him.  Enoch's 
hope  was  in  his  Saviour ;  he  went  to  God  through 
the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  he  did  not  taste  of 
death,  for  God  took  him. 

Soon  after  Enoch  went  to  God,  another  blessed 
child  was  born  of  the  family  of  Seth  and  of  the 
family  of  Enoch ;  and  when  the  child's  father  saw 
his  infant  son,  he  called  him  Noah  ;  for  he  said, 
this  same  child  shall  comfort  us  concerning  our 
work  and  the  toil  of  our  hands ;  because  of  the 
ground  which  the  Lord  hath  cursed. 

Noah  grew  up  to  be  a  man ;  and  Noah  walked 
with  God.  Noah  not  only  knew  the  Lord  himself, 
but  he  tried  to  teach  others  the  knowledge  of  God. 
Noah  was  a  preacher  of  righteousness.  But  Noah 
stood  alone  in  the  world,  as  the  only  servant  of 


34  THE      ARK. 

God ;  he  was  the  only  one  who  was  found  walking 
in  the  steps  of  righteous  Abel ;  every  one,  except 
Noah,  had  turned  to  follow  the  example  of  wicked 
Cain  ;  they  were  all  walking  in  disobedience  to 
God,  and  the  Earth  was  filled  with  violence. 

And  God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was 
great  in  the  Earth.  And  it  repented  the  Lord  that 
He  had  made  man  on  the  Earth  ;  and  it  grieved 
Him  at  His  heart.  And  the  Lord  said,  I  will  de- 
stroy man  whom  I  have  created,  from  the  face  of 
the  Earth ;  both  man  and  beast  and  the  creeping 
thing,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  for  it  repenteth  me 
that  I  have  made  them.  But  Noah  found  grace  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  And  God  said  unto  Noah, 
The  end  of  all  flesh  is  come  before  me ;  for  the 
Earth  is  filled  with  violence  ;  and  behold,  I  will 
destroy  them  with  the  Earth.  Make  thee  an  ark 
of  Gopher-wood  :  rooms  shalt  thou  make  in  the 
ark,  and  shalt  pitch  it  within  and  without  with 
pitch.  Behold,  I,  even  I  do  bring  a  flood  of  waters 
upon  the  Earth,  to  destroy  all  flesh  wherein  is  the 
breath  of  life,  from  under  Heaven  ;  and  every  thing 
that  is  in  the  Earth  shall  die.  But  with  thee  will  I 
establish  my  covenant:  and  thou  shalt  come  into 


THE     ARK.  35 

the  ark :  thou,  and  thy  sons,  and  thy  wife,  and  thy 
sons1  wives,  with  thee.  Of  fowls,  and  of  cattle,  and 
of  creeping  things  of  the  Earth,  two  of  every  sort 
shall  come  unto  thee,  to  keep  them  alive.  And 
take  thou  unto  thee  of  all  food  that  is  eaten,  thou 
shalt  gather  it  to  thee  ;  and  it  shall  be  for  food  for 
thee  and  for  them.  Thus  did  Noah,  according  to 
all  that  God  commanded  him,  so  did  he. 

You  see  an  old  man  sitting  on  a  stone :  that  is 
Noah  :  he  is  five  hundred  years  old  :  he  is  building 
the  ark,  as  God  commanded  him.  He  tells  the 
people  about  the  flood  of  waters  that  is  coming  to 
destroy  the  world :  they  do  not  believe  his  words  ; 
but  they  are  willing  to  build  the  ark,  because  they 
will  have  payment  for  the  work.  God  has  sent 
them  a  long  time  of  warning;  all  the  time  that 
great  ark  is  building,  all  that  time  God  is  waiting, 
and  Noah  preaching ;  but  they  will  not  believe,  till 
the  flood  comes  and  takes  them  all  away. 

He  that  being  often  reproved,  hardeneth  his  neck, 
shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  rem- 
edy.— Proverbs,  xxix.  1. 


VI. 

Clje   Jflooft. 

OU  see  what  has  come  to  pass.  God  has 
fulfilled  His  holy  word.  Hath  He  said,  and 
shall  He  not  do  it  ?  Or  hath  He  spoken, 
and  shall  He  not  make  it  good?  Noah 
went  on  preaching  to  the  people,  and  build- 
ing the  ark,  until  all  was  finished,  as  God 
had  commanded  him'.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Noah, 
Come  thou  and  all  thy  house  into  the  ark  ;  for  thee 
have  I  seen  righteous  before  me  in  this  generation. 
Noah  had  preached,  but  no  one  had  repented:  there 
was  not  found  one,  except  Noah  and  his  family,  to 
believe  and  obey  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Men  and 
women,  and  children,  refused  to  obey  the  word  of 
the  God  who  made  them ;  they  refused  to  return 
from  their  evil  ways.  But  the  wild  beasts  of  the 
field,  and  the  cattle,  and  the  creeping  things  of  the 


THE     FLOOD.  37 

ground,  and  the  free  birds  of  the  air,  were  all  obe- 
dient to  their  Makers  will.  When  the  ark  was 
ready,  the  fierce  tiger,  and  the  stately  elephant ;  the 
beautiful  horse,  and  the  patient  ass ;  the  bull,  and 
the  dog ;  the  wolf,  and  the  little  lamb :  all  came 
walking  in  peace  together — because  God  had  com- 
manded that  they  should  come  and  stay  with  Noah 
in  the  Ark.  Then  came  all  the  creeping  things  of 
the  ground — The  little  industrious  ant,  the  cater- 
pillar with  its  horn,  the  rosy  lady-bird  and  busy- 
bee,  the  shining  beetle,  and  little  mouse,  the  prickly 
hedge-hog,  and  the  tortoise  with  its  heavy  shell — 
the  cat  and  the  dog  would  not  hurt  them  now,  be- 
cause God  had  commanded  them  all  to  come.  Then 
came  the  bird  of  every  wing — the  royal  eagle  who 
can  look  at  the  dazzling  sun,  the  peacock  with  his 
starry  tail,  the  kite  with  his  piercing  eye,  and  the 
little  lark  without  fear  in  his  presence  ;  the  hungry 
vulture  flew  gently  along,  the  yellow  canary,  the 
faithful  robin  red-breast,  the  raven,  and  the  dove — 
all  flew  to  the  great  ark,  and  entered  in.  God  has 
said,  Yea,  the  stork  in  the  heaven  knoweth  his  ap- 
pointed times;  and  the  turtle,  and  the  crane,#and 
the  swallow,  observe   the    time  of  their   coming ; 


38  THE     FLOOD. 

but   my  people   know   not   the  judgment   of  the 
Lord. 

Noah,  and  his  wife,  and  his  three  sons,  and  his 
son's  wives ;  and  the  beasts,  and  the  cattle,  and  the 
creeping  things,  and  the  birds  of  the  air — all  went 
into  the  ark  on  one  and  the  same  day.  They  all 
went  in  to  Noah,  as  God  had  commanded ;  and  the 
Lord  shut  Noah  in.  The  disobedient  people  must 
have  stood  around,  and  wondered  greatly  at  the 
sight  they  saw  that  day ;  but  their  wonder  was  soon 
changed  to  terror ;  for  the  fountains  of  the  great 
deep  were  broken  up,  and  the  windows  of  heaven 
were  opened,  and  the  water  began  to  flow  over  the 
dry  land.  The  flood  was  come,  as  God  had  said. 
The  Ark  rode  safe  upon  the  rushing  waters ;  and 
as  they  rose  higher  and  higher,  they  lifted  it  up, 
and  bore  it,  steady  and  still,  the  only  precious  thing 
in  all  the  drowning  world.  The  wretched  people 
looked  at  it,  but  it  was  too  late  even  to  hope  to 
enter  in  ;  for  God  had  shut  the  door,  and  when  He 
shutteth  none  can  open.  The  water  covered  the 
houses ;  the  people  climbed  up  on  the  hills  and 
mountains,  but  the  water  came  after  them  there  :  it 
came  and  swept  them  all  away ;  it  swept  the  ser- 


THE      FLOOD.  39 

pent  from  the  rock,  the  men  from  the  trees,  the 
children  from  the  ground.  God  had  sent  the  flood 
to  destroy  all,  and  it  did  not  leave  one  behind. 
Noah  only  remained  alive,  and  they  that  were  with 
him  in  the  ark.  And  the  waters  prevailed  upon 
the  earth  an  hundred  and  fifty  days. 

And  God  remembered  Noah,  and  every  living 
thing  that  was  with  him  in  the  ark :  and  God  made 
a  wind  to  pass  over  the  Earth  ;  and  restrained  the 
rain ;  and  stopped  the  fountains  of  the  deep,  and 
the  windows  of  Heaven.  And  the  waters  became 
less  and  less,  till  the  tops  of  the  mountains  were 
seen  ;  and  the  ark  rested  on  the  mountains  of  Ara- 
rat. And  it  came  to  pass,  at  the  end  of  forty  days, 
that  Xoah  opened  the  window  of  the  ark,  and  sent 
forth  a  Raven  out  of  the  ark.  There  were  no  other 
birds  in  all  the  sky,  and  no  green  trees  in  which  to 
shelter ;  but  the  Raven  did  not  mind  about  this ; 
he  did  not  love  the  ark  where  he  had  been  kept  so 
safe ;  he  did  not  love  Noah,  whose  kind  hand  had 
fed  him,  therefore  he  would  not  return ;  he  chose 
rather  to  fly  to  and  fro,  until  the  waters  were  dried 
up  from  off  the  Earth.  Then  Noah  sent  forth  a 
Dove  from  the  ark  :  but  the  Dove  found  no  rest  for 


40  THE      FLOOD. 

the  sole  of  her  foot ;  she  felt  afraid  to  fly  alone  over 
the  wide  waters.  So  she  flew  back  to  the  ark,  to 
her  rest  again.  And  Noah  put  forth  his  hand,  and 
took  her  in  unto  him  into  the  ark.  Noah  waited 
seven  days,  and  then  he  sent  the  Dove  forth  out  of 
the  ark  again.  Now  the  waters  were  almost  gone, 
the  trees  could  be  seen,  and  the  Dove  could  find 
many  a  tempting  resting-place,  but  still  she  did  not 
stay.  She  went  to  an  olive-tree,  and  plucked  off 
one  of  its  leaves  with  her  beak,  and  flew  back  with 
it  to  the  ark,  through  the  evening  sky — just  as  the 
wild  bird  flies  to  its  nest  in  the  wood ;  and  lo,  in 
her  mouth  the  olive-leaf  which  she  had  plucked  off. 
Then  Noah  knew  that  the  waters  were  abated  from 
off  the  Earth.  And  Noah  stayed  another  seven 
days,  and  sent  forth  the  Dove,  which  returned  not 
again  unto  him  any  more.  She  did  not  return  now, 
because  the  waters  were  gone,  and  God  would  now 
bring  Noah  out  of  the  ark.  And  Noah  removed 
the  covering  of  the  ark,  and  looked,  and  behold, 
the  face  of  the  ground  was  dry.  Noah  had  been 
many  months  shut  up  in  the  ark,  and  he  must  have 
longed  to  tread  again  on  the  dry  Earth,  after  the 
dreadful  wonders  God  had  wrought ;  but  he  waited 


THE     FLOOD.  41 

till  God  should  bid  him  go.  And  God  spake  unto 
Noah,  saying,  Go  forth  of  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy 
wife,  and  thy  sons,  and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee ; 
and  bring  forth  with  thee  every  living  thing  that  is 
with  thee.  And  Noah  went  forth  out  of  the  ark, 
and  all  that  were  with  him. 

You  are  not  a  little  bird  in  the  ark,  with  Noah 
for  your  keeper :  but  you  are  a  little  child  in  the 
ark  of  Christ's  church,  with  the  Lord  Jesus  for  your 
Keeper.  Will  you  then  be  like  the  Raven  ?  Or 
will  you  try  to  be  like  the  Dove  ?  If  you  wander 
away  from  your  Saviour,  if  you  do  not  love  to  go  to 
Him,  then  you  will  be  like  the  Raven,  who  wan- 
dered away  and  never  came  back  to  his  keeper's 
hand  again.  But  if  you  love  your  Saviour,  if  you 
do  not  like  to  forget  Him,  if  you  love  to  go  to  Him, 
and  to  ask  Him  to  keep  you  near  Him,  safe  from  all 
evil,  and  to  feed  you,  and  watch  over  you  day  and 
night,  then  you  will  be  like  the  Dove.  The  Dove 
is  a  gentle,  loving  bird,  and  therefore  our  Saviour 
calls  His  children  His  Doves,  and  says  that  their 
voice  is  sweet  to  Him.  He  loves  to  hear  them  pray 
to  Him.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  came  down  on  the 
Lord  Jesus,  in  the  sight  of  men,  it  descended  upon 


42  THE      FLOOD. 

Him  like  a  Dove — You  must  ask  your  Saviour  to 
give  you  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  then  you  will  be  not 
only  like  the  Dove,  but  like  your  blessed  Saviour, 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  gentle,  and  fall  of  love  to 
God  and  man. 

The  Lord  is  thy  Keeper. — Psalm  cxxi.  5. 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


T  HE    EALNBO  W 

[NOAH'!   SACRIFICE] 


VII. 

€\z  ^ainbolv. 

>HE  first  thing  that  Noah  did  when  he  left 
the  ark  and  stood  upon  the  dry  land,  -was 
to  build  an  altar,  and  offer  up  a  sacrifice  to 
God.  Noah  did  this  to  show  that  he  knew 
it  was  only  for  his  Saviour's  sake  that  the 
world  was  given  back  to  him,  and  that  he 
had  been  kept  alive  to  dwell  on  it.  Noah  offered 
up  a  sacrifice  to  set  forth  the  death  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  for  the  salvation  of  the  world  :  he  took  pos- 
session of  all  the  earth  in  his  Saviour's  Name.  That 
sacrifice  was  sweet  to  God,  because  it  set  before 
Him  His  beloved  Son.  And  the  Lord  said  in  His 
heart,  that  He  would  not  again  curse  the  ground 
any  more  for  man's  sake  :  neither  would  lie  any 
more  smite  every  living  thing  as  He  had  done :  but 
that  while  the  earth  remained,  seed-time  and  har- 


44  THE     KAINBOW. 

vest,  and  cold  and  heat,  summer  and  winter,  and 
day  and  night,  should  not  cease.  This  was  because 
the  first  thing  Noah  did  was  to  look  up  for  God's 
blessing  on  the  Earth,  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

And  God  blessed  Noah  and  his  sons.  And  He 
gave  them  the  living  creatures  to  be  their  food : 
but  the  blood  of  the  animals  God  told  them  that 
they  must  not  eat.  And  then  it  was  that  God  com- 
manded that  whoever  killed  another,  should  himself 
be  put  to  death :  because  man  was  made  in  the 
image  of  God. 

And  God  gave  to  Noah  a  promise,  and  to  every 
living  creature  that  went  with  Noah  out  of  the  ark. 
This  was  the  promise — That  there  should  not  any 
more  be  a  flood  to  destroy  the  Earth.  And  God 
set  His  beautiful  bow  in  the  cloud,  that  when  we 
are  afraid  of  the  dark  sky,  we  may  look  up  to  see 
the  promise  of  God.  The  Rainbow  is  God's  pro- 
mise written  in  the  sky.  It  comes  in  the  heavy, 
black  cloud,  and  every  body  looks  up  to  see  it. 
God  made  His  bow  to  comfort  Noah,  and  to  comfort 
us,  at  the  sight  of  the  dark  cloud.  When  we  see  it 
we  remember  God's  faithful  promise,  that  He  will 


TIIE     RAINBOW.  45 

not  any  more  drown  the  world  by  a  flood.  Some- 
times the  rain  comes  down  very  fast,  and  the  waters 
rise  very  high,  but  we  do  not  feel  afraid  that  the 
world  will  be  drowned,  because  we  have  seen  God's 
bow  in  the  sky.  The  little  child,  and  the  old  man 
who  cannot  read  the  Holy  Bible,  may  look  up  into 
the  sky,  and  see  God's  promise  there.  God  said,  it 
should  come  to  pass  when  He  brought  a  cloud  over 
the  Earth,  that  the  bow  should  be  in  the  cloud ;  and 
He  would  look  upon  it,  and  remember  his  covenant 
with  Noah,  and  with  every  living  creature  ;  that 
the  waters  should  no  more  become  a  flood  to  de- 
stroy all  flesh. 

Do  you  think  that  we  can  learn  any  thing  more 
by  looking  up  at  the  Bow  in  the  cloud  ?  If  you 
look  up  when  the  Rainbow  comes,  you  will  see  that 
it  crosses  a  dark,  black  cloud ;  that  dark,  black 
cloud  between  us  and  the  blue  sky,  is  like  our  black 
sins  between  us  and  Heaven.  God's  bow  set  in  the 
cloud,  teaches  us  that  sin  deserves  death.  But  if 
you  look  you  will  see  that  the  bow  is  turned  up  to 
Heaven,  so  that  if  an  arrow  could  be  shot  from  it, 
the  arrow  would  go  up  into  Heaven :  this  reminds 
us  that  God  has  turned  His  bow  away  from  the  sin- 


46  THE      RAINBOW. 

neiyand  pointed  it  to  Heaven  against  His  own  be- 
loved Son.  When  the  apostle  St.  John  saw  into 
Heaven,  he  saw  the  blessed  Jesus  as  a  Lamb  that 
had  been  slain ;  in  His  hands,  and  in  His  side  and 
feet,  were  the  marks  where  He  was  wounded  unto 
death  for  our  sins  ;  and  he  was  clothed  in  a  vesture 
dipped  in  His  own  blood.  If  you  love  the  Lord 
Jesus,  you  will  never  feel  God's  arrow  of  eternal 
death — you  will  be  safe  in  Jesus  for  ever.  But  the 
Bible  says,  that  if  we  will  not  turn  to  our  Saviour, 
God  has  bent  His  bow  and  made  it  ready  against  us. 
Will  you  try  to  think  of  these  things  when  you 
see  God's  bow  set  in  the  cloud  ? — The  black  cloud 
which  shuts  out  the  blue  sky,  reminds  us  of  our 
black  sins,  which,  if  they  are  left  upon  us,  will  shut 
us  out  of  Heaven.  God's  bow  set  in  the  black 
cloud  reminds  us  that  sin  calls  for  eternal  death 
upon  the  sinner.  But  the  bow  pointed  against 
Heaven  reminds  us  that  the  Lord  Jesus  died  for  us. 
And  when  you  see  how  beautiful  the  bow  of  God  is, 
remember  that  it  is  only  the  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
which  could  make  the  bow  of  God  to  be  beautiful 
to  us.  If  we  are  washed  in  our  Saviour's  blood,  we 
need  only  love  and  not  fear  even  the  bow  of  God. 


THE      RAINBOW.  47 

There  was  a  little  Welsh  girl  of  only  five  years 
old ;  she  could  not  read,  and  her  parents  and 
friends  did  not  know  the  Lord ;  but  a  servant  of 
God  took  notice  of  the  little  girl,  and  he  told  her 
about  her  Saviour.  After  a  little  time  the  child 
was  taken  ill,  and  when  she  was  dying,  she  repeated 
a  verse  of  a  hymn  which  that  servant  of  God  had 
taught  her.     And  this  was  what  she  said  : — 

"  'How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds 
In  a,  believer's  ear  ; 
It  soothes  his  sorrows,  heals  his  wounds, 
And  drives  away  his  fear. ' 

— "  Mother  !  it  has  driven  away  all  my  fear."  And 
when  she  had  said  these  words,  she  died,  and  went 
to  her  Saviour's  arms.  And  there  is  an  old  man 
who  says  he  learned  to  know  the  love  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  from  that  little  child. 

Thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by 
Thy  blood.— Rev.  v.  9. 


VIII. 

%\t  Coluu"  of  lahL 

'HE  flood  had  passed  away  from  the  earth, 
and  year  after  year  went  on,  till  there  were 
a  great  many  people  again  in  the  world. 
God  shewed  them  favor,  yet  would  they  not 
learn  righteousness  :  in  the  land  which  Noah 
had  taken  possession  of  for  them  in  his  Sa- 
viour's Name,  they  dealt  unjustly,  and  would  not 
behold  the  Majesty  of  the  Lord.  Noah  was  still 
alive,  to  teach  them  the  good  and  the  right  way ; 
but  they  despised  all  his  counsel,  they  would  none 
of  his  reproof.  They  all  dwelt  together  in  a  flat 
and  open  country,  called  a  plain.  The  wide  earth 
lay  around  them,  and  they  saw  the  Heavens  above 
their  head.  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Let  us 
make  brick,  and  let  us  build  us  a  city,  and  a  tower, 
whose  top  may  reach  unto  Heaven ;  and  let  us  make 


THE     TOWER     OF     BABEL.  49 

us  a  name,  lest  we  bo  scattered  abroad  upon  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth. 

Why  did  the  people  wish  to  build  a  tower  to 
reach  up  unto  Heaven  ?  We  cannot  tell  all  the 
thoughts  that  were  in  their  hearts  about  it ;  but 
we  know  that  they  were  not  right  thoughts,  be- 
cause God  was  angry  with  them,  and  punished 
them. 

The  people  said,  Let  us  build  a  tower,  whose  top 
may  reach  unto  Heaven.  They  had  all  heard  of 
the  dreadful  flood,  which  had  destroyed  every  liv- 
ing thing  that  was  left  on  the  earth,  and  perhaps 
they  thought  that  they  would  build  a  tower  up  to 
Heaven,  that  they  might  escape  if  another  flood 
came.  But  if  this  was  their  thought,  it  shewed 
that  they  did  not  believe  God's  promise  written  in 
the  sky  :  they  looked  up  to  Heaven,  but  they  were 
none  the  wiser  or  the  better  for  that  look.  The 
word  of  God  cannot  be  broken,  He  keepeth  His 
promise  for  ever,  but  disobedient  sinners  cannot 
trust  God's  faithful  word,  therefore  it  brings  no 
comfort  to  them.  If  another  flood  of  waters  could 
have  come,  it  would  soon  have  washed  away  the 
high  tower,  as  easily  as  the  sea  washes  away  the 

4 


50  THE     TOWER     OF     BABEL. 

little  heaps  of  stones  which  children  build  upon  the 
sand. 

They  saw  the  beautiful  Heavens  over  their  heads ; 
the  sun  by  day  rising  and  setting,  the  moon  and 
glittering  stars  by  night ;  and  perhaps  they  thought 
they  should  like  to  be  able  to  climb  up  nearer  to 
Heaven,  and  the  dwelling-place  of  God.  They 
knew  the  Holy  Angels  came  down  from  Heaven  to 
Earth ;  and  God  Himself  had  often  talked  with  sin- 
ful man ;  they  knew  the  blessed  Enoch  had  been 
taken  to  Heaven  without  dying  ;  and  they  would 
like  to  make  themselves  a  way  to  get  nearer  to  that 
world  above.  0  foolish  people  and  unwise  !  Was 
not  Noah,  the  preacher  of  righteousness,  still  among 
them  ?  And  had  not  he  taught  them  that  the  only 
way  to  get  nearer  to  Heaven  was  to  walk  humbly 
Avith  God.  They  might  climb  up  to  the  clouds,  but 
they  would  be  no  nearer  to  God  in  His  Holy  Habi- 
tation. But  if  they  knelt  down  upon  the  ground, 
with  lowly,  contrite  hearts,  and  prayed  to  God  in 
the  name  of  His  dear  Son,  Heaven  would  come 
down  to  them,  even  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  into 
their  hearts,  the  hope  of  glory.  Then  the  peace  of 
God  would  make  a  heaven  above  them;  and  the 


THE     TOWER     OF     BABEL.  51 

love  of  God  would  make  a  heaven  within  them ;  and 
the  blessing  of  God  would  make  a  heaven  around 
them — till  the  day  when  Heaven  itself  should  open 
before  them,  and  they  should  enter  it  for  ever. 
Yes,  they  had  heard,  but  they  did  not  believe,  they 
would  not  obey  :  they  went  on  frowardly,  in  the 
way  of  their  own  hearts,  until  God  came  down  to 
punish  their  vain  imaginations.  Though  hand  join 
in  hand,  the  wicked  shall  not  be  unpunished. 

The  people  had  said,  Let  us  make  us  a  name. 
They  did  not  think  upon  that  Holy  Name  the  Lord 
God  ;  they  did  not  think  how  they  might  honor 
that  great  and  terrible  Name ;  they  did  not  fear  be- 
fore it,  and  therefore  they  could  not  love  it :  they 
did  not  think  how  they  might  get  that  glorious 
Name  written  on  their  hearts,  to  be  their  honor  and 
their  joy  in  all  the  earth :  they  did  not  think  of 
this ;  their  foolish  hearts  were  so  darkened,  that 
they  only  thought  how  they  could  make  a  name  for 
themselves.  They  sought  honor  one  from  another, 
and  not  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only.  The 
Lord  hath  said,  Them  that  honor  me,  I  will  honor ; 
and  they  that  despise  me,  shall  be  lightly  esteemed 
— And  so  it  came  to  pass  with  those  who  tried  to 


52  THE     TOWER     OF     BABEL. 

make  themselves  a  name,  by  building  a  tower  unto 
Heaven. 

God  came  down  to  see  the  city  and  the  tower, 
which  the  children  of  men  builded.  It  was  a  great 
work,  and  they  were  all  laboring  at  it.  What  was 
it,  do  you  think,  that  God  did  to  stop  them  ?  He 
did  not  shake  it  down  with  an  earthquake.  He  did 
not  shiver  it  with  lightning  from  Heaven.  He  did 
not  speak  to  the  people.  No ;  God  had  given  them 
a  preacher  of  righteousness  in  His  servant  Noah,  and 
they  would  not  obey.  God  was  not  come  to  teach 
them  now,  but  to  punish  them.  He  punished  them, 
but  it  was  in  mercy  still.  All  that  God  did  was  to 
change  the  sound  of  the  words  the  people  spoke, 
so  that  their  words  no  longer  had  the  same  sound: 
this  seems  a  little  thing — only  a  little  sound,  and 
yet  it  put  an  end  to  all  the  great  work,  the  city 
and  the  tower ;  and  it  caused  the  very  thing  the 
people  feared,  it  scattered  them  over  the  face  of  the 
earth  ;  for  they  could  not  only  no  longer  work  to- 
gether, but  they  could  not  bear  to  dwell  together, 
because  they  could  not  understand  one  another's 
words.  The  Bible  says,  The  fear  of  the  wicked,  it 
shall  come  upon  him.     So  they  left  off  to  build  the 


T  II  E     TOWER     OF     BAB  E  L .  53 

tower,  and  its  name  was  called  Babel,  which  means 
Confusion.  The  people  tried  to  make  themselves 
a  name,  and  God  made  their  name  of  shame  to 
be  remembered  to  this  day ;  and  to  this  day  we  sec 
and  hear  words  of  strange  lano-uaires  whose  sound 
we  cannot  understand — God's  punishment  upon  pre- 
sumptuous man. 

In  God's  blessed  Kingdom  of  Heaven  there  will 
be  no  more  a  strange  language  ;  all  will  speak  the 
same  holy  words  of  truth  and  love.  God  wrill  never 
be  angry  there,  because  no  thought  of  evil  can  ever 
enter  there :  the  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  keeps 
every  saint  in  Heaven,  and  every  angel,  safe  for 
ever.  And  no  one  thinks  about  their  own  name 
there,  for  the  Holy  Name  of  God  is  written  on  every 
forehead,  and  that  is  the  greatest  honor  the  highest 
saint  can  know.  And  there  they  all  dwell  together, 
never  to  be  scattered  away,  and  the  Saviour  dwells 
with  them. 

When  you  look  up  to  Heaven,  perhaps  you 
sometimes  think  that  you  should  like  to  go  there. 
You  cannot  go  there  by  yourself,  but  if  you  are  the 
child  of  your  Father  in  Heaven,  He  will  one  day 
send  for  you.     He  sent  a  Chariot  of  Fire  for  one  of 


54  THE     TOWER     OF     BABEL. 

His  holy  servants.  He  sent  angels  to  cany  the 
blessed  spirit  of  a  poor  beggar  to  His  presence 
above.  And  the  Lord  Jesus  says  to  every  one  who 
loves  Him,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto 
myself,  that  where  I  am,  there  you  may  be  also. 

O  send  out  Thy  Light  and  Thy  Truth  :  let  them 
lead  me y  let  them  bring  me  to  Thy  Holy  Hill,  and  to 
Thy  Tabernacle. — Psalm  xliii.  3. 


ABRAHAM  AND  ISAAC. 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


IX. 

^braljam  ant)  bis  Son  fsaar. 

hi  HEN  the  world  of  ungodly  sinners  was  de- 
jj  $  stroyed  by  the  flood,  you  heard  that  there 
Jj^^V     was  one  man  who  walked  with  God — even 
^P£P  righteous  Noah.     And  when  God  punished 
{^)    sinful  men  for  their  pride  in  building  the 
*^     tower  of  Babel,  there  was    one   man   who 
found  acceptance  with  God — his  name  was  Abra- 
ham.     Whatever    God   said  —  Abraham   believed. 
And  whatever  God  commanded — Abraham  obeyed. 
Therefore  Abraham  was  called  the  friend  of  God, 
because  Re  trusted  in  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart, 
and  leaned  not  to  his  own  understanding. 

God  commanded  Abraham  to  leave  his  country, 
and  his  friends,  and  his  father's  house  ;  and  Abra- 
ham did  so :  he  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he 
went,  \  ut  God  knew,  and  that  satisfied  Abraham. 


56  ABRAHAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC. 

God  had  given  a  promise  to  Abraham,  that  he 
should  be  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  people,  as 
many  as  the  stars  in  the  sky  ;  but  Abraham  grew  to 
be  an  old  man,  and  had  no  child.  Did  Abraham 
think  that  God  would  not  keep  his  promise  ?  No. 
Abraham  still  believed  ;  and  whatever  God  com- 
manded, Abraham  obeyed. 

God  has  never  failed  them  that  put  their  trust  in 
Him.  God  had  promised  Abraham  that  he  should 
be  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  people.  And  at  last, 
when  Abraham  was  a  hundred  years  old,  and  Sarah, 
Abraham's  wife,  was  ninety  years  old,  God  gave 
them  a  son,  their  only  child,  God's  gift  to  them  in 
their  old  age.  And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  Abra- 
ham became  the  father  of  God's  people,  the  Jews : 
and  of  Abraham,  as  concerning  his  human  body, 
Jesus  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  for 
ever.  And  not  only  so,  but  every  man,  woman,  and 
little  child,  who  believes  and  obeys  the  word  of 
God,  is  called  by  God  the  child  of  faithful  Abraham. 
If  you  are  obedient  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  you 
are  the  child  of  Abraham.  And  every  one  in  all 
the  world  who  loves  and  obeys  God's  holy  word  is 
the  child  of  Abraham.     And  so  it  has  come  to  pass 


ABRAHAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC.  57 

that  the  children  of  faithful  Abraham  are  more  in 
number  than  the  stars :  and  God  has  made  the  name 
of  Abraham  the  friend  of  God  to  be  remembered  in 
all  the  Earth. 

Abraham  went  to  God,  like  Abel  and  like  Noah, 
through  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Abraham 
often  built  up  an  altar,  and  offered  up  a  sacrifice  to 
God ;  by  which  he  shewed  that  he  felt  himself  to 
be  a  sinner,  and  that  he  looked  to  the  Saviour  God 
had  promised. 

One  day  God  called  Abraham,  and  told  him  to 
offer  up  a  sacrifice.  This  sacrifice  was  not  to  be  a 
lamb  from  the  fold,  it  was  not  to  be  a  young  kid 
from  the  goats,  it  was  not  to  be  a  turtle-dove — no ; 
it  was  to  be  Abraham's  own  child,  his  son,  his  only 
son,  whom  he  loved :  that  blessed  child  whom  God 
had  given  him.  Abraham  was  to  take  him  away  to 
a  mountain  a  long  way  off,  which  God  would  tell 
him  of,  and  there  he  was  to  offer  him  up  for  a 
burnt-offering  to  God.  Did  Abraham  murmur  and 
complain  ?  Did  he  wait  only  a  little  while,  that  he 
might  look  on  his  precious  child  a  little  longer  ? 
No.  There  was  one  thought  in  Abraham's  heart, 
stronger   than   any   other,    and  that  thought    was 


58  ABRAHAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC. 

obedience.  Sacrifice  is  nothing  without  obedience. 
Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice :  and  to 
hearken  than  the  fat  of  lambs.  God  loveth  a  cheer- 
ful giver.  And  Abraham  knew  in  his  heart  that 
God  had  promised  to  give  His  only  Son  to  die  for 
his  sin,  and  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and 
should  Abraham  keep  back  his  child  when  God  re- 
quired the  gift  ?  No.  God  had  given  him  Isaac, 
and  Abraham  knew  that  God  could  give  him  Isaac 
back  again,  even  from  the  dead  :  he  knew  that  the 
promise  of  God  could  not  be  broken :  and  whatever 
God  commanded,  that  Abraham  would  do.  The 
Lord  hath  said,  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother,  son 
or  daughter,  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me. 

Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  clave 
the  wood  for  the  burnt-offering,  and  saddled  his  ass, 
and  took  two  of  his  servants  with  him,  and  Isaac  his 
son,  and  rose  up  and  went  unto  the  place  of  which 
God  had  told  him.  Three  days  they  travelled  on 
their  way.  Isaac  did  not  know  what  his  father  was 
going  to  do  with  him, — his  father  had  not  told  him, 
but  his  father  knew.  Abraham's  heart  must  have 
ached  as  he  looked  upon  his  child,  and  heard  his 
voice  speaking  to  him.     No  doubt  his  father  talked 


ABRAHAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC.  59 

to  him  of  holy  things,  of  the  fear  and  love  of  God — 
to  strengthen  the  heart  of  his  child  when  he  should 
have  to  tell  him  he  must  die. 

Then  on  the  third  day  Abraham  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  and  saw  the  place  of  which  God  had  told  him, 
afar  off.  And  Abraham  said  unto  his  servants, 
Abide  ye  here  with  the  ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will 
go  yonder,  and  worship,  and  come  again  to  you. 
And  Abraham  took  the  wood  of  the  burnt-offering, 
and  laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son  :  and  Abraham  took 
the  fire  in  his  hand,  and  a  knife,  and  they  went  both 
of  them  together.  Isaac  had  often  seen  his  father 
offer  up  a  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering  to  God,  so  he 
was  not  surprised ;  he  knew  what  the  wood  and  the 
fire  and  the  knife  were  for,  but  he  wondered  how 
his  father  could  find  a  lamb  on  the  mountain-top. 
So  as  they  walked  together  up  the  mountain-side, 
he  said — My  father.  And  his  father  said — Here  am 
I,  my  son.  And  Isaac  said — Behold  the  fire  and  the 
wood,  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering  ? 
And  Abraham  said — My  son,  God  will  provide  Him- 
self a  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering.  So  they  went  both 
of  them  together.  When  they  reached  the  moun- 
tain-top, Isaac  helped  his  father  to  build  the  altar 


60         ABBAIIAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC. 

of  stones,  and  to  lay  the  wood  in  order  on  the  altar ; 
and  then  his  father  told  him  that  he  was  the  offer- 
ing God  required.  Abraham  was  obedient  to  God, 
and  Isaac  was  obedient  to  his  father  Abraham,  in 
all  things.  Isaac  loved  his  father,  and  he  loved  his 
mother,  and  he  had  all  things  to  make  life  happy  ; 
but  he  was  ready  to  meet  God's  holy  will,  and  to 
die  by  his  father's  hand.  0  happy  child,  who  loved 
the  will  of  God  more  than  he  loved  his  life  !  0 
happy  father,  who  had  such  a  child  to  render  back 
to  God ! 

Then  Abraham  bound  Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him 
on  the  altar,  upon  the  wood ;  and  Abraham  stretch- 
ed forth  his  hand,  and  took  the  knife  to  slay  his 
son.  But  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him 
out  of  Heaven,  and  said — Abraham,  Abraham !  And 
Abraham  said — Here  am  I.  And  God  said  to 
Abraham — Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither 
do  thou  any  thing  unto  him ;  for  now  I  know  that 
thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy 
son,  thine  only  son,  from  me.  And  Abraham 
looked,  and  saw  behind  him  a  ram  caught  in  a 
thicket  by  his  horns.  And  Abraham  went,  and 
took  the  ram,  and  oifered  him  up  for  a  burnt-offer- 


ABRAHAM     AND     II I S     SON     ISAAC.  61 

ing  in  the  stead  of  his  son.  And  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  called  to  Abraham  the  second  time  out  of 
heaven,  and  said,  By  myself  have  I  sworn,  saith  the 
Lord,  for  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son ;  that  in 
blessing  I  will  bless  thee  ;  and  in  multiplying  I 
will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven, 
and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  sea-shore;  and 
thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies ;  and 
in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  Earth  be 
blessed,  because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice.  Then 
Abraham  rose  up  with  Isaac  his  son,  and  returned 
to  Isaac's  mother,  satisfied  with  God's  favor,  and 
full  of  the  Blessing  of  the  Lord. 

Isaac  bound  and  laid  upon  the  altar,  was  to  show 
forth  God's  only  and  beloved  Son,  bound  and  laid 
upon  the  cross.  God  would  not  suffer  Isaac  to  be 
slain ;  but  God  did  not  spare  His  own  beloved  Son, 
but  offered  Him  up  for  us  all. 

Would  it  make  you  happy  to  think  that  you,  like 
holy  Abraham,  could  be  the  friend  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty,  even  of  that  gentle  Lord  and  Saviour,  who 
took  little  children  up  in  His  arms,  and  blessed 
them  ?     If  so,  I  will  tell  you  that,  young  as  you 


62  ABRAHAM     AND     HIS     SON     ISAAC. 

are,  you  may  be  the  friend  of  Abraham's  God ;  for 
He  has  said,  that  every  one  who  does  whatever  He 
commands  shall  be  His  friend.  Ask  your  Saviour  to 
give  you  His  Holy  Spirit,  that  you  may  learn  to 
know,  and  love,  and  do  His  holy  will,  and  then  you 
will  not  only  be  His  child,  but  He  will  call  you  His 
friend. 

Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  ivliatsoever  I  command 
you. — John,  xv.  14. 


JACOB'S  BLESSING 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


X. 

fa  cob's   Dieting. 

SAAC  lived  with  his  father  and  his  mother. 
P  And  when  Isaac  was  nearly  forty  years  old, 
his  mother  died ;  his  father  mourned  and 
wept  for  her,  and  laid  her  in  the  grave.  The 
grave  in  which  he  laid  her  was  a  cave,  in  a 
piece  of  ground  which  Abraham  bought  for 
a  burying-place  ;  for  Abraham  dwelt  as  a  stranger 
in  the  land  to  which  God  had  called  him.  Abraham 
had  no  home  in  that  land  ;  he  lived  in  tents  which 
he  moved  from  one  place  to  another  :  but  God  had 
promised  to  give  the  whole  of  that  land  to  him  and 
to  his  children.  And  Abraham  believed  God,  and 
dwelt  as  a  stranger  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  which,  in 
years  to  come,  his  children  would  possess  as  their 
own  land. 

When  Isaac  was  sixty  years  old,  God  gave  him 


64  Jacob's    blessing. 

two  sons.  Esau  was  the  name  of  the  eldest,  and 
Jacob  was  the  name  of  the  youngest.  When  Esau 
grew  old  enough,  he  became  a  hunter ;  but  Jacob 
lived  in  tents,  and  watched  over  the  cattle.  Esau 
would  go  out  to  hunt  in  the  fields  ;  then  he  would 
bring  his  father  pleasant  food  which  he  had  pre- 
pared for  him.  Isaac  loved  his  son  Esau,  because 
Esau  thought  about  the  food  he  liked,  and  prepared 
it  for  him,  and  carried  it  to  him :  but  Rebekah, 
Isaac's  wife,  loved  Jacob,  who  dwelt  quietly  in  a  tent 
near  his  mother. 

One  day  Esau  came  from  his  hunting,  faint  with 
hunger,  and  he  went  into  Jacob's  tent.  Jacob  was 
preparing  a  dish  of  pottage.  And  Esau  said  to 
Jacob,  Feed  me,  I  pray  thee,  with  that  same  red 
pottage,  for  I  am  faint.  It  would  have  been  only 
kind  in  Jacob  to  feed  his  hungry  brother,  but  Jacob 
did  not  then  know  the  love  of  God,  and  his  heart 
was  selfish.  He  would  not  give  his  brother  food 
unless  his  brother  gave  him  his  birthright.  Esau's 
birthright  was  his  place  as  the  eldest  son  in  his 
father's  family  ;  and  with  that  birthright,  the  Bless- 
ing that  God  had  given  to  Abraham  and  to  Isaac 
would  be  received.     The  birthright  and  the  Bless- 


Jacob's   blessing.  65 

ing  would  belong  to  the  same  person.  Therefore 
Esau  ought  to  have  valued  the  birthright  more  than 
his  life,  because  the  Blessing  that  was  given  with  it 
was  for  Heaven  as  well  as  for  Earth.  But  Esau 
thought  more  about  his  hunger  than  he  did  about 
that  Blessing ;  and  he  sold  his  birthright  to  his 
brother  Jacob  for  a  little  pottage.  Thus  Esau  de- 
spised his  birthright. 

Before  Esau  was  born,  and  before  Jacob  was 
born,  God  told  their  mother  that  the  birthright 
would  belong  to  the  youngest,  and  not  to  the  eld- 
est. It  was  right  in  Jacob  to  value  the  birthright, 
but  he  ought  to  have  waited  till  God  gave  it  to  him, 
and  not  have  taken  it  from  his  hungry  brother  for 
a  little  food.  Jacob  had  many  an  hour  of  distress 
afterwards  to  remind  him  of  this  wrong  act. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  when  Isaac  was  old,  and 
his  eyes  were  dim  so  that  he  could  not  see,  that  he 
called  Esau,  his  eldest  son,  and  said  unto  him,  My 
son,  and  Esau  said  unto  him,  Behold,  here  am  I. 
And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son  Esau,  Behold  now,  I 
am  old,  I  know  not  the  day  of  my  death.  Now 
therefore  take,  I  pray  thee,  thy  weapons,  thy  quiver 
and  thy  bow,  and  go  out  to  the  field,  and  take  me 

5 


66  Jacob's    blessing. 

some  venison,  and  make  me  savory  meat,  such  as  I 
love,  and  bring  it  to  me,  that  I  may  eat,  that  my 
soul  may  bless  thee  before  I  die."  Isaac  loved  his 
eldest  son  Esau,  and  he  thought  to  give  him  the 
Blessing.  Isaac  forgot  what  God  had  said  before 
He  gave  his  children  to  him :  and  he  forgot  that 
Esau  had  despised  his  birthright,  and  sold  it  to 
Jacob  for  a  little  food.  When  the  servants  of  God 
forget  God's  holy  will,  sorrow  is  sure  to  follow,  and 
so  it  was  now. 

Rebekak,  Isaac's  wife,  heard  when  Isaac  spake  to 
Esau.  She  knew  that  God  had  said  the  Blessing 
should  be  Jacob's.  Did  she  then  go  to  Isaac,  her 
blind  and  aged  husband,  and  remind  him?  No, 
she  did  not  do  this.  Did  she  go  to  the  Lord,  and 
ask  of  Him  to  do  the  thing  that  He  had  said  should 
be  done  ?  No,  she  did  not  go  to  the  Lord.  She  let 
Satan,  the  wicked  tempter,  come  to  help  her  to  try 
and  get  the  Blessing  for  her  son  Jacob  whom  she 
loved.  But  does  Satan  help  any  one  to  get  the 
Blessing  of  the  Lord  ?  Satan  would  keep  that 
Blessing  away  if  he  could,  but  he  knew  he  could 
not  do  that.  God  had  promised  it,  and  it  would 
surely  come  :  but  Satan  tempted  Jacob's  mother  to 


Jacob's    blessing.  67 

try  to  gain  that  Blessing  in  a  sinful  way,  and  by 
this  means  to  put  a  thorn  in  that  Blessing,  which 
pierced  her  heart  and  the  heart  of  Jacob,  all  the 
days  of  their  life  on  Earth. 

When  Esau  was  gone  to  the  field  to  hunt  for 
venison,  and  to  bring  it  for  his  father,  Rebekah 
called  Jacob  her  younger  son,  and  told  him  that  his 
father  had  sent  his  brother  Esau  to  hunt  for  veni- 
son, and  that  then  his  father  would  give  the  Bless- 
ing to  Esau.  And  she  told  Jacob  to  go  to  the  flock, 
and  bring  her  two  kids  of  the  goats,  and  she  would 
make  savory  meat,  and  he  should  take  it  to  his 
father,  and  get  the  Blessing  before  Esau  came  back 
from  his  hunting.  "  And  Jacob  said  to  Rebekah 
his  mother,  Behold,  Esau  my  brother  is  a  hairy  man, 
and  I  am  a  smooth  man :  my  father  perhaps  will 
feel  me,  and  I  shall  seem  to  him  as  a  deceiver,  and 
I  shall  bring  a  curse  upon  me  and  not  a  blessing. 
And  his  mother  said  unto  him,  Upon  me  be  thy 
curse,  my  son,  only  obey  my  voice,  and  go  fetch  me 
them.  And  Jacob  went,  and  fetched  the  kids,  and 
brought  them  to  his  mother  ;  and  his  mother  made 
savory  meat,  such  as  his  father  loved.  And  she 
took  goodly  raiment  of  her  eldest  son  Esau,  which 


68  Jacob's    blessing. 

were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  she  put  them  upon 
Jacob  her  youngest  son.  And  she  put  the  skins  of 
the  kids  upon  Jacob's  hands,  and  upon  his  neck. 
And  she  gave  the  savory  meat  and  the  bread  which 
she  had  prepared,  into  the  hand  of  her  son  Jacob. 
And  Jacob  came  unto  his  father,  and  said,  My  fa- 
ther ;  and  his  father  said,  Here  am  I,  who  art  thou, 
my  son  ?"  Now  Isaac  was  blind,  and  could  not  see 
who  it  was  that  stood  before  him.  "And  Jacob 
said  unto  his  father,  I  am  Esau  thy  first-born ;  I 
have  done  according  as  thou  badest  me  ;  arise,  I 
pray  thee,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison,  that  thy  soul 
may  bless  me.  And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son,  How 
is  it  that  thou  hast  found  it  so  quickly,  my  son  ? 
And  Jacob  said,  Because  the  Lord  thy  God  brought 
it  to  me.  And  Isaac  said  unto  Jacob,  Come  near, 
I  pray  thee,  that  I  may  feel  thee,  my  son,  whether 
thou  be  my  very  son  Esau  or  not.  And  Jacob  went 
near  unto  Isaac  his  father,  and  he  felt  him,  and  said, 
The  voice  is  Jacob's  voice,  but  the  hands  are  the 
hands  of  Esau.  And  his  father  discerned  him  not, 
because  his  hands  were  hairy,  as  the  hands  of  his 
brother  Esau.     So  he  blessed  him." 


ESAUS     BLESSING.  69 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  Isaac  had  made 
an  end  of  blessing  Jacob,  and  Jacob  was  yet  scarce 
gone  out  from  the  presence  of  Isaac  his  father,  that 
Esau  his  brother  came  in  from  his  hunting.  And 
he  also  had  made  savory  meat,  and  brought  it  unto 
his  father;  and  said,  Let  my  father  arise,  and  eat 
of  his  son's  venison,  that  thy  soul  may  bless  me. 
And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto  him,  Who  art  thou  ? 
And  he  said,  I  am  thy  son,  thy  first-born,  Esau. 
Then  Isaac  trembled  very  exceedingly."  Isaac 
knew  now  that  Jacob  had  deceived  him.  He 
thought  of  Jacob's  lie,  and  he  thought  of  his  own 
forgetfulness  of  the  word  that  God  had  spoken — 
which  had  tempted  Jacob  to  deceive  him.  Happy 
are  they  who  remember  God's  commandments  to  do 
them  !  Isaac,  old  and  blind,  trembled  with  a  great 
trembling  ;  and  said,  "  Who  ?  where  is  he  that  hath 
taken  venison,  and  brought  it  me,  and  I  have  eaten 
of  all  before  thou  earnest,  and  have  blessed  him? 
Yea,  and  he  shall  be  blessed."  Isaac  had  departed 
from  the  word  of  the  Lord ;  Rebekah  had  tempted 
her  son  Jacob  to  deceive  his  blind  and  aged  father; 
Jacob  had  told  a  lie — the  sin  was  theirs,  and  they 
must   feel   the    correction  of  the   Lord.     But  the 


70  ESAU'S     BLESSING. 

Blessing  was  God's  Blessing,  the  Blessing  which  He 
had  given  to  faithful  Abraham,  and  to  Isaac  who 
had  bowed  his  head  to  die  at  God's  command ;  and 
God  had  given  it  to  Jacob  by  promise,  therefore  it 
would  be  fulfilled :  but  Jacob  must  be  made  to  feel 
the  evil  of  his  sin  all  the  days  of  his  life. 

"  When  Esau  heard  the  words  of  his  father,  he 
cried  with  a  great  and  exceeding  bitter  cry  ;  and 
said  unto  his  father,  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  0  my 
father !  And  his  father  said,  Thy  brother  came 
with  subtlety,  and  hath  taken  away  thy  blessing. 
And  Esau  said  unto  his  father,  Hast  thou  but  one 
blessing,  my  father?  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  0 
my  father !  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
wept."  When  Esau  was  hungry  and  sold  his  birth- 
right to  Jacob,  he  did  not  think  about  the  Blessing  ; 
but  now  he  finds  the  Blessing  gone,  and  gone  for 
ever,  to  his  brother  to  whom  he  sold  his  birthright, 
he  weeps  aloud ;  he  seeks  it  bitterly  with  tears,  but 
it  was  too  late.  When  he  despised  his  birthright, 
and  sold  it  for  pottage,  he  despised  the  Blessing 
that  was  to  be  given  with  it ;  and  now  both  were 
gone,  and  his  father  had  confirmed  the  act,  for  he 
had  said  of  Jacob,  "  Yea,  and  he  shall  be  blessed." 


ESAU'S     BLESSING.  71 

Isaac  gave  Esau  a  blessing,  but  it  was  not  the 
Blessing  which  God  had  promised.  No ;  that  Bless- 
ing could  not  be  given  to  one  who  could  despise 
and  sell  it.  That  was  a  heavenly  Blessing,  a  Bless- 
ing to  last  for  ever  and  ever ;  but  the  blessing 
which  Isaac  gave  to  Esau  was  an  earthly  blessing. 
When  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  he  blessed  him  in  the 
Name  of  God  ;  but  he  did  not  name  that  holy 
Name  when  he  blessed  Esau.  When  Isaac  blessed 
Jacob,  he  spoke  of  Heaven  first,  for  God  Himself 
would  be  the  portion  of  Jacob  ;  his  Blessing  Avas  to 
be  the  Lord  from  Heaven  :  but  when  Isaac  blessed 
Esau,  he  put  Earth  first,  because  Esau's  blessing- 
was  of  the  Earth,  earthly.  In  Jacob's  blessing  there 
was  folded  up  a  blessing  for  every  one  who  blessed 
him  or  his  children  the  Jews ;  but,  in  Esau's,  no 
mention  was  made  of  any  blessing  upon  others  for 
his  sake, — no  mention  was  made  of  his  being  any 
blessing  in  the  Earth. 

You  see  there  are  two  blessings,  a  heavenly  bless- 
ing, and  an  earthly  blessing.  Every  one  in  this 
great  world  is  seeking  after  one  of  these  blessings. 
Some  people  are  doing  all  they  can  to  gain  as  much 
pleasure  as  possible  ;  some  are  seeking  after  honor ; 


72  ESAU's     BLESSING. 

some  after  money  :  all  these  things  are  earthly,  they 
are  Esau's  blessing ;  and  if  we  have  not  the  Hea- 
venly blessing,  even  the  Lord  for  our  portion,  they 
will  do  us  no  good,  but  only  add  to  our  sorrow  in 
the  end.  The  greater  number  of  people  are  seek- 
ing after  Esau's  blessing.  Like  Esau,  they  despise 
the  Heavenly  blessing ;  it  is  offered  to  them  in  the 
Bible,  but  they  turn  away  from  it ;  they  sell  the  hope 
of  ever  receiving  it,  for  some  present  gain  or  plea- 
sure, just  as  Esau  did.  And  then  the  day  will  come 
when  they  will  find  it  is  gone,  they  will  find  they 
have  lost  it  for  ever  ;  then  they  will  seek  it  bitterly 
with  tears,  as  Esau  did,  but  it  will  be  too  late :  like 
Esau,  they  cannot  then  find  any  place  of  repentance. 
But  there  are  a  few  people  in  the  world  who  are 
seeking  the  Heavenly  blessing  ;  they  cannot  be 
satisfied  unless  they  can  have  the  Lord  for  their 
portion,  and  Heaven  for  their  home,  and  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  them  at  all  times.  They  want  to 
have  the  Blessing  God  gave  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  ;  they  kneel  down  and  pray  for  it  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  they  seek  it  in  the  Holy 
Bible ;  they  go  to  the  house  of  God,  the  house  of 
prayer,  and  seek  it  there ;  they  watch  over  their 


ESAU'S      BLESSING.  73 

own  thoughts  and  words  and  actions,  lost  they 
should  sin  against  God  and  lose  it.  And  they  will 
find  it.  They  will  receive  the  blessing  of  the  Lord, 
for  He  has  said,  "Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you — 
Seek,  and  ye  shall  find." 

It  is  the  same  with  children  as  with  men  and 
women ;  they  also  are  seeking  one  of  these  bless- 
ings. Which  blessing  are  you  seeking  ?  If  you 
think  only  about  earthly  things,  you  are  only  seek- 
ing Esau's  blessing.  Earthly  things  will  soon  pass 
away,  and  then-  you  will  have  nothing  left ;  no  por- 
tion in  God,  no  home  in  Heaven  ;  nothing  but  that 
dreadful  place,  where  lost  sinners  dwell  for  ever. 
But  if  you  think  of  heavenly  things  also,  if  you  pray 
for  the  blessing  of  God  to  be  given  you,  for  your 
Saviour's  sake  ;  if  you  love  to  read  of  it,  or  to  hear 
of  it,  and  if  you  try  to  please  your  Father  in  Hea- 
ven, that  He  may  bless  you  in  all  you  do  ;  then  the 
Blessing  that  God  gave  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  will  be  your  blessing.  The  Bible  tells  us 
we  must  seek  it  to-day.  It  says,  "  Now  is  the  ac- 
cepted time."  To-morrow  may  be  too  late.  If 
you  have  the  earthly  blessing  only,  Death  will  take 
it  all  away  ;  but  if  you  have  the  heavenly  blessing, 


74  ESAU'S     BLESSING. 

nothing  can  take  it  away  ;  for  the  heavenly  blessing 
is  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord ;  and  if  you  have  that  love,  nothing  can  sepa- 
rate you  from  it,  for  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  loveth, 
He  loveth  unto  the  end. 

I  love  them  that  love  me :  and  those  that  seek  me 
early  shall  find  me. — Proverbs,  viii.  17. 


JACOB'S  DREAM. 


Sunday  AfteroooDfi. 


XI. 


faco&'s  §  ream. 


)SAU  hated  Jacob  because  of  the  Blessing 
"wherewith  his  father  blessed  him.  And 
Esau  said  in  his  heart,  The  days  of  mourn- 
ing for  my  father  are  at  hand,  then  will  I 
slay  my  brother  Jacob."  Esau  had  de- 
spised and  sold  his  birthright ;  but  he  for- 
own  sin,  and  thought  only  of  Jacob's. 
When  we  think  most  of  our  own  sins,  our  heart 
grows  humble  and  tender :  but  when  we  forget  our 
own  sins  and  think  of  the  sins  of  others,  then  our 
heart  becomes  proud  and  hard.  Esau  forgot  his 
own  sin,  and  thought  only  of  Jacob's,  till  he  said  in 
his  heart,  "I  will  kill  my  brother."  0  dreadful 
words !  Satan  first  tempted  Esau  to  despise  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord,  and  to  sell  his  birthright,  and 


76  Jacob's    dream. 

Esau  listened  to  the  Tempter :  and  now  Satan  fills 
his  heart,  as  he  did  the  heart  of  Cain,  to  kill  his 
brother  !  Esau  had  listened  to  the  Tempter  before, 
and  now  he  listens  again :  he  did  not  watch,  he  did 
not  pray,  and  therefore  he  entered  into  the  dread- 
ful temptation  :  he  said,  "  I  will  kill  my  brother  !" 
But  Jacob's  life  was  bound  up  in  the  promise  of 
God,  and  therefore  no  one  on  earth  or  in  hell  could 
take  it  away.  Jacob  was  to  be  the  father  of  the 
nation  of  the  Jews,  of  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
was  to  come  ;  therefore  none  could  touch  his  life  to 
take  it  away.  But  Jacob  had  sinned  against  God, 
and  before  man,  and  he  must  now  begin  to  taste  the 
bitter  fruit  that  sin  is  sure  to  yield.  He  must  flee 
away  from  his  home,  from  his  father's  presence  and 
his  mother's  love,  because  of  his  angry  brother's 
fury.  He  must  learn,  by  long  experience,  that  sin 
is  an  evil  and  bitter  thing.  God's  faithful  promise 
could  not  fail.  Jacob  had  believed,  and  loved,  and 
longed  for  that  promise,  as  his  fathers,  Isaac  and 
Abraham,  had  done  ;  but  Jacob  had  sinned  in  the 
way  he  obtained  it,  and  God  would  visit  his  trans- 
gression with  the  rod  of  affliction,  and  his  iniquity 
with  stripes ;  but  God  would  not  take  His  loving- 


Jacob's   dream.  77 

kindness  from  him,  nor  suffer  His  faithful  promise 
to  fail. 

Esau's  dreadful  words  -were  told  to  bis  mother 
Rebekah.  Rebekah  had  tempted  her  son  Jacob  to 
tell  a  lie,  and  now  she  was  the  first  to  feel  the  bitter 
punishment.  She  had  only  two  children,  and  the 
eldest  was  going  to'kill  the  youngest;  and  this  was 
the  consequence  of  her  sin.  It  was  too  late  then 
to  undo  that  sin  :  she  could  take  it  to  her  Saviour, 
and  He  could  wash  away  its  guilt  from  her,  but  she 
must  feel  the  sorrow  it  must  bring  all  her  life  on 
earth.  When  Rebekah  heard  the  words  that  her 
eldest  son  Esau  had  spoken,  she  sent  and  called 
Jacob  her  youngest  son,  and  said  unto  him,  "  Be- 
hold, thy  brother,  Esau,  as  touching  thee,  doth 
comfort  himself,  purposing  to  kill  thee.  Now, 
therefore,  my  son,  obey  my  voice,  and  arise,  flee 
thou  to  Laban,  my  brother,  to  Haran ;  and  tarry 
with  him  a  few  days,  until  thy  brother's  fury  turn 
away,  until  thy  brother's  anger  turn  away  from 
thee,  and  he  forget  that  which  thou  hast  done  to 
him :  then  I  will  send  and  fetch  thee  from  thence. 
Why  should  I  be  deprived  of  you  both  in  one 
day?" 


78  JACOB    S     DREAM. 

So  Jacob  left  Lis  mother,  for  fear  of  his  brother's 
anger,  and  he  never  saw  her  face  again  on  earth. 
When  he  came  back  to  his  father's  house,  many 
years  after,  his  mother  was  gone,  and  her  body  lay 
sleeping  in  death,  in  the  cave  where  Abraham,  and 
where  Sarah  the  mother  of  Isaac,  were  laid.  Sin 
separates  parents  from  children,  and  brother  from 
brother.  The  Holy  Spirit  of  truth  and  love  makes 
all  to  be  of  one  mind  :  but  where  envying  and  strife 
is,  there  is  confusion  and  every  evil  work. 

Jacob  left  his  home  alone,  with  a  staff  in  his 
hand ;  he  travelled  all  day,  and  when  night  came, 
no  place  of  rest  was  near.  Jacob's  sin  had  de- 
prived him  of  all  that  he  loved  and  valued  on  earth. 
His  father,  mother,  brother,  home,  servants,  flocks, 
and  herds,  all  were  lost  to  him  now ;  and  he  was 
going  alone,  to  a  strange  land,  to  those  whom  he 
had  never  seen.  One  thing  was  left  to  Jacob,  and 
only  one,  but  that  one  thing  was  more  than  all  be- 
side :  it  was  the  Blessing  of  his  father's  God ;  that 
Blessing  which  Jacob  had  believed,  and  loved,  and 
longed  for ;  it  had  come  at  last,  though  his  own  sin 
had  made  it  come  with  bitterness.  But  Jacob  loved 
the  Blessing  still,  and  with  that  Blessing  laid  up  in 


Jacob's    dream.  79 

his  heart,  he  lay  down  to  sleep  on  the  bare  ground, 
with  a  stone  for  his  pillow,  and  the  heavens  over 
his  head. 

The  Bible  says  of  a  father's  commandment — and 
how  much  more  of  a  father's  blessing,  "  When  thou 
goest,  it  shall  lead  thee ;  when  thou  sleepest,  it  shall 
keep  thee  ;  and  when  thou  awakest,  it  shall  talk 
with  thee."  And  so  it  was  with  Jacob.  He  laid 
down  to  sleep  alone,  with  nothing  but  his  father's 
blessing :  and  in  his  sleep  he  dreamed,  and,  "  be- 
hold, a  ladder  set  up  on  the  Earth,  and  the  top  of 
it  reached  to  Heaven :  and,  behold,  the  angels  of 
God  ascending  and  descending  on  it.  And,  be- 
hold, the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said  to  Jacob,  I 
am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the 
God  of  Isaac  :  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee 
will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed ;  and  in  thee  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  Earth  be 
blessed.  And,  behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will 
keep  thee  in  all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will 
bring  thee  again  into  this  land  ;  for  I  will  not  leave 
thee  until  I  have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken  to 
thee  of.  And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and 
he  said,  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I 


80  Jacob's    dream. 

knew  it  not.  And  he  was  afraid,  and  said,  How 
dreadful  is  this  place !  This  is  none  other  but  the 
house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  Heaven." 

God  punished  the  men  who  tried  to  build  a 
tower  of  their  own  to  Heaven,  but  He  showed 
Jacob  a  ladder  which  reached  all  the  way.  We 
cannot  make  a  way  of  our  own  to  Heaven ;  but 
God  has  made  a  way  in  his  great  mercy,  and  He 
can  show  it  to  us.  The  ladder  which  God  showed 
to  Jacob  meant  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — He  is  the 
way  to  Heaven.  There  was  no  way  for  a  sinnee  to 
enter  Heaven,  therefore  the  blessed  Jesus,  in  His 
tender  love,  came  down  from  Heaven,  and  died 
upon  the  cross  to  put  away  sin ;  and  when  He  had 
overcome  the  sharpness  of  death,  He  rose  up  from 
His  grave,  and  ascended  to  Heaven,  and  opened 
the  gate  to  all  who  are  washed  from  their  sins  in 
His  precious  blood.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  the  only 
way  to  Heaven,  He  is  the  Ladder  by  which  the 
poor  sinner  may  climb  up  to  Heaven  and  enter  in. 
And  because  Jesus  has  opened  the  gate,  and  made 
a  way  from  Heaven  to  Earth,  the  holy  angels  come 
down,  and  watch  over  all  those  whom  the  Lord 
Jesus  loves,  as  Jacob  saw  in  his  dream. 


Jacob's   dream.  81 

You  could  not  climb  a  ladder  all  the  way  from 
Earth  to  Heaven,  but  the  ladder  means  your 
Saviour  :  if  you  go  to  your  Saviour's  feet,  and  pray 
to  Him,  He  will  take  you  in  His  arms,  and  give 
His  angels  charge  concerning  you,  and  they  will 
carry  you  safe  to  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 

Jesus  saith  unto  Mm,  I  am  the  Way,  and  the 
Truth,  and  the  Life :  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father 
hut  by  Me. — John,  xiv.  6. 

6 


XII. 

facob  to  it  §  |ts  Incle  jJTaian. 


& 


AC  OB  rose  up  from  that  blessed  sleep  early 
in  the  morning.  He  was  rich  and  happy 
now ;  rich  in  his  poverty,  because  God  had 
&3  blessed  him ;  happy  in  his  banishment,  because 
God  was  with  him.  And  Jacob  vowed  a  holy 
vow  unto  the  Lord,  that  he  would  be  the  ser- 
vant of  the  Lord  :  and  he  asked  four  things  of  God  ; 
he  asked  God  to  grant  them  to  him,  because  if  the 
Lord  would  be  his  God,  he  would  not  any  more 
look  to  himself,  or  to  man,  but  to  God  only ;  and 
he  would  receive  every  thing  from  the  Lord  his 
God. 

Jacob  asked  four  things  of  God.     What  would 
you  think  those  four  things  would  be  ? 

The  first  words  he  said  were,  "  If  God  will  be 
with  me,"    Jacob  had  left  all  he  knew  and  loved  on 


,T  A  C  O  B     WITH     HIS    UNCLE     LABAN.         83 

Earth,  and  ho  had  lain  clown  to  sleep  a  lonely  wan- 
derer, without  a  home,  but  the  Lord  had  come  to 
him.  In  the  night,  when  deep  sleep  had  Mien  upon 
him,  he  had  heard  the  words  of  God,  and  seen  the 
vision  of  the  Almighty.  He  thought  that  he  was  left 
alone,  forsaken  of  all ;  but  he  found  that  he  was 
not  alone,  for  God  was  with  him.  The  ladder 
Jacob  saw  reached  all  the  way  from  the  ground 
where  he  lay  up  to  Heaven,  and  the  Lord  God 
stood  above  it ;  by  this  Jacob  was  shewn  how  he 
might  come  near  to  Him,  even  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  came  from  Heaven  to  Earth  to  save 
sinners.  And  Jacob  found  how  blessed  a  thing  it 
was  to  have  a  Father  in  Heaven,  to  whom  he  could 
speak  at  all  times,  and  who  would  be  his  Guardian 
and  his  Guide  for  ever.  And  there  God  had  bless- 
ed him ;  God  made  no  mention  of  Jacob's  sin ; 
Jacob  would  think  of  and  mourn  for  that  all  his 
life;  God  only  gave  him  the  Blessing  he  had  so  long- 
loved  and  desired,  and  added  no  sorrow  to  it.  It 
was  the  very  Blessing  God  had  given  to  Abraham 
and  to  Isaac,  and  words  of  peace  added  to  it  which 
were  not  given  before.  No  wonder  Jacob  asked 
that  God  would  be  always  with  him.     Would  you 


84   JACOB  WITH  HIS  UNCLE  LABAN. 

not  like  to  have  God  always  with  you  ?  If  you  ask 
Him  to  be  with  you  He  will  hear  your  prayer,  and 
He  will  be  with  you,  and  will  not  leave  you.  God 
invites  you  to  ask  Him.  He  says  to  you,  Wilt  thou 
not  from  this  time  cry  unto  me,  "My  Father,  Thou 
art  the  Guide  of  my  youth  ?"  Jer.  iii.  4. 

The  second  request  that  Jacob  made  was,  that 
God  would  keep  him  in  the  wray  that  he  went. 
Jacob  had  learned  to  know  that  he  could  not  keep 
himself.  He  had  been  walking  by  himself,  trusting 
to  his  own  strength  and  his  own  wisdom,  and  he 
had  found  that  his  own  strength  was  weakness,  and 
his  own  wisdom  folly  ;  he  had  fallen  into  temptation 
and  a  snare  ;  he  had  sinned  against  God  and  man, 
and  he  had  lost  the  comfort  of  all  his  earthly  pos- 
sessions. Now  he  prayed  that  God  would  keep 
him,  and  his  prayer  was  heard — God  did  keep  him 
all  his  life  long,  and  redeemed  him  from  all  evil. 
And  God  will  keep  you,  if  you  ask  Him,  and  if  you 
follow  His  holy  will  and  commandment.  He  says 
He  "will  gather  His  lambs  in  His  arms,  and  carry 
them  in  his  bosom." 

The  third  thing  that  Jacob  asked  was,  that  God 
would  give  him  bread  to  eat,  and  raiment  to  put 


JACU  15     W  I  T  II     II  IS   U  N  O  LB     L  A  B  A  X .        85 

on.  He  did  not  ask  to  have  his  servants  and  his 
flocks  and  his  tents  given  back  to  him — No,  he 
had  left  all  those  to  his  brother.  He  had  re- 
ceived the  blessing  of  God,  and  he  thought  that 
the  best  of  all  possessions.  He  only  asked  for 
bread  to  eat  and  raiment  to  put  on.  The  Bible 
tells  us  that,  having  food  and  raiment,  we  are  to 
be  therewith  content.  Your  Heavenly  Father 
teaches  you  to  ask  Him,  as  Jacob  did,  for  your 
daily  bread :  do  you  not  say,  "  Give  us  this  day 
our  daily  bread  ?" 

The  fourth  request  that  Jacob  made  was,  that  he 
might  come  again  to  his  father's  house  in  peace. 
Jacob  had  felt  the  love  of  God,  but  he  did  not  for- 
get his  father  and  his  mother :  he  prayed  that  he 
might  return  to  his  father's  house,  not  to  die  by  his 
angry  brother's  hand,  but  in  peace.  And  God 
granted  him  all  that  he  asked.  You  have  not 
had  to  flee  away  from  your  father's  house  in  fear ; 
but  you  have  a  sinful  heart,  and  if  your  sin  be  not 
taken  away  you  cannot  enter  your  Heavenly 
Father's  house  above  the  sky.  The  Lord  Jesus 
says  to  those  whom  He  has  washed  from  their 
sins :   "  In  my  Father's  house   are  many  mansions 


86   JACOB  WITH  HIS  UNCLE  LABAN. 

— I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  The  Lord 
Jesus  took  away  Jacob's  sin ;  you  must  ask  Him 
to  take  away  your  sin,  and  then,  when  you  die, 
you  will  go  in  peace  to  your  Father's  house  in 
Heaven. 

"  Then  Jacob  went  on  his  journey,  and  came  into 
the  land  of  the  people  of  the  East.  And  there  he 
served  his  uncle  Laban,  his  mother's  brother." 
Jacob  stayed  there  twenty  years.  He  was  often  re- 
minded of  his  own  sin  by  the  trouble  he  met  with  ; 
for  his  uncle  deceived  him  many  times,  and  then 
Jacob  must  have  remembered  again  with  fresh  sor- 
row how  he  had  deceived  his  aged  father.  But 
God  was  with  Jacob,  and  kept  him  and  prospered 
him,  so  that  Jacob  became  a  rich  man.  He  had 
twelve  children,  eleven  sons  and  one  daughter. 
"  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Jacob's  eleventh  son, 
whose  name  was  Joseph,  was  born,  that  Jacob  said 
to  his  uncle  Laban,  Send  me  away,  that  I  may  go 
to  mine  own  place,  and  to  my  country ;  for  thou 
knowest  my  service  which  I  have  done  thee.  And 
Laban  said,  I  pray  thee,  if  I  have  found  favor  in 
thine  eyes,  stay  with  me  ;  for  I  have  learned  by  ex- 
perience that  the   Lord  hath  blessed  me  for  thy 


JACOB  WITH  HIS  UNCLE  LAB  AN.    87 

sake."  So  Jacob  Btayed,  but  his  uncle  deceived 
him,  and  changed  his  wages  ten  times.  Only  the 
Lord  was  with  Jacob,  and  blessed  him,  and  there- 
fore he  increased  exceedingly,  and  had  much  cattle, 
and  maid-servants,  and  men-servants,  and  camels, 
and  asses. 

Jacob  stayed  till  Joseph,  his  youngest  son,  was 
six  years  old ;  Jacob  had  then  been  twenty  years 
with  his  uncle,  away  from  his  father's  house,  and  he 
longed  sore  to  return.  And  the  Lord  said  uuto 
him,  "  Return  unto  the  land  of  thy  fathers,  and  to 
thy  kindred,  and  I  will  be  with  thee.  And  the 
angel  of  God  spake  unto  Jacob  in  a  dream,  saying, 
I  am  the  God  of  Bethel,  where  thou  vowedst  a  vow 
unto  me.  Now,  arise,  get  thee  out  from  this  land, 
and  return  unto  the  land  of  thy  kindred."  Jacob 
feared  to  tell  Laban  what  God  had  said  to  him,  for 
Laban  no  longer  looked  kindly  upon  him  as  before. 
And  Laban  went  to  shear  his  sheep.  Then  Jacob 
rose  up,  and  set  his  children  upon  camels,  and  car- 
ried away  all  that  he  had,  for  to  go  to  Isaac  his 
father  in  the  land  of  Canaan."  You  see,  Jacob  is 
walking  by  the  ass  on  which  Rachel  his  wife  is 


00   JACOB  WITH  HIS  UNCLE  LABAN. 

riding.  The  servants  are  taking  down  the  tents 
which  Jacob  lived  in  with  his  family,  and  the 
camels  are  waiting  to  bear  them  away. 

The  blessing  of  the  Lord,  it  mdketh  rich;  and 
He  addeth  no  sorrow  with  it. — Proverbs,  x.  22. 


^4  V^ 


THE  RECONCILIATION  OF  JACOB  AND  ESAU 


Sunday  Afternoons 


XIII. 

fctcoITs  Return. 

ND  it  was  told  Laban  on  the  third  day 
after,  that  Jacob  was  fled.  And  Laban 
took  his  brethren  with  him,  and  pursued 
after  Jacob  seven  days'  journey,  and  they 
overtook  him  in  the  mount  of  Gilead." 
Jacob  could  not  travel  fast,  because  he  had 
young  children,  and  much  cattle  with  him  ;  so  he 
could  not  escape.  He  must  have  felt  afraid  when 
he  saw  his  unkind  uncle  coming  in  sight,  and  the 
men  that  were  with  him.  But  Jacob  had  prayed 
that  God  would  be  with  him,  and  would  keep  him 
in  the  way  that  he  went,  and  would  bring  him 
again  to  his  father's  house  in  peace  ;  and  God  had 
not  forgotten  Jacob's  prayer.  God  had  granted 
him  that  which  he  had  asked,  and  therefore  no  one 
could  hurt  him.     Jacob  was  as  safe  in  the  lonely 


90  Jacob's    return. 

mountain  path  with  his  angry  uncle  near,  as  if  he 
had  been  in  his  father's  house.  "  Happy  is  he  that 
hath  the  God  of  Jacob  for  his  help  ;  whose  hope  is 
in  the  Lord  his  God." 

God  came  to  Laban  in  a  dream  by  night,  and 
said  unto  him,  "  Take  heed  that  thou  speak  not  to 
Jacob  either  good  or  bad.  Then  Laban  overtook 
Jacob.  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  What  hast  thou 
done,  that  thou  hast  stolen  away  unawares  to  me  ? 
It  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand  to  do  you  hurt,  but 
the  God  of  your  father  spake  unto  me  yesternight, 
saying,  Take  thou  heed  that  thou  speak  not  to 
Jacob  either  good  or  bad."  Then  Jacob  reminded 
his  uncle  of  how  he  had  served  him,  and  of  the 
treatment  which  he  had  received  at  his  hands. 
"  And  Jacob  said,  Except  the  God  of  my  father,  the 
God  of  Abraham,  and  the  Fear  of  Isaac,  had  been 
with  me,  surely  thou  hadst  sent  me  away  empty. 
God  hath  seen  my  affliction  and  the  labor  of  my 
hands,  and  rebuked  thee  yesternight.  Then  Laban 
made  a  covenant  with  Jacob ;  and  they  raised  a 
heap  of  stones.  And  Jacob  offered  sacrifice  upon 
the  mount.  And  early  in  the  morning,  Laban,  Ja- 
cob's uncle,  rose  up,  and  kissed  Jacob's  children, 


Jacob's   return.  91 

and  departed,  and  returned  to  his  place."  The 
Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver  the  godly  out  of 
temptations;  and  to  reserve  the  unjust  to  the  day 
of  judgment  to  be  punished. 

"  And  Jacob  went  on  his  way,  and  the  angels  of 
God  met  him.  And  when  Jacob  saw  them,  he  said, 
This  is  God's  host."  Jacob  had  seen  the  holy  an- 
gels twenty  years  before,  in  his  dream  by  night, 
when  he  lay  on  the  bare  ground ;  he  had  seen  them 
comins:  down  from  Heaven  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  on  messages  of  love  to  those  whose 
sins  were  pardoned,  and  to  little  children — "  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And  he  had  seen 
the  holy  angels  whose  work  was  done,  returning 
back  again  in  the  name  of  Jesus — the  only  name  to 
which  the  gate  of  Heaven  opens  from  this  sinful 
Earth.  Jacob  had  seen  this  twenty  years  before ; 
therefore  he  was  not  afraid  when  the  angels  met 
him  on  his  journey,  it  comforted  his  heart  to  see 
them  ;  and  he  called  them  God's  host.  Jacob  had 
no  soldiers  with  him  to  fight  against  his  enemies, 
therefore  God  shewed  to  him  the  angel-host  which 
He  had  sent  to  guard  him,  that  Jacob  might  trust 
and  not  be  afraid.      "The  angel  of  the  Lord  en- 


92  Jacob's    return. 

canipeth  round  about  them  that  fear  Him,  and  de- 
livereth  them." 

Jacob  had  been  delivered  from  one  danger,  and 
now  he  began  to  think  of  another.  He  was  enter- 
ing the  land  of  Canaan,  where  his  father  and  his 
brother  dwelt ;  but  how  shall  he  meet  Esau  his 
brother  ?  Can  he  hope  that  twenty  years  of  sepa- 
ration will  have  softened  his  brother's  anger  ?  Ja- 
cob was  afraid  to  hope,  because  he  knew  that  time 
alone  only  makes  the  stony  heart  grow  harder. 
But  the  angels  were  with  Jacob,  and  would  not 
they  take  care  of  him  ?  Yes,  the  angels  were  with 
Jacob,  but  Jacob  knew  the  angels  could  not  put 
away  his  sin  ;  he  had  sinned  against  Esau  his 
brother  twenty  years  before,  by  telling  a  lie  in  his 
name  ;  and  the  holy  angels  could  not  come  between 
him  and  his  sin.  What  then  did  Jacob  do  ?  He 
took  the  humble  sinner's  place.  The  Bible  says, 
"A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath."  Jacob  sent 
a  lowly  message  to  Esau  his  brother.  He  sent  mes- 
sengers to  Esau  his  brother,  and  commanded  them, 
saying,  "  Thus  shall  ye  speak  unto  my  lord  Esau, 
Thy  servant  Jacob  saith  thus,  I  have  sojourned  with 
Laban,  and  stayed  there  until  now.     And  I  have 


Jacob's   return.  93 

oxen,  and  asses,  flocks,  and  men-servants,  and  wo- 
men-servants, and  I  have  sent  to  tell  my  lord,  that 
I  may  find  grace  in  thy  sight."  Esau  had  sold  the 
birthright  to  Jacob,  but  Jacob  gives  back  the  honor 
to  Esau ;  he  calls  Esau  lord,  and  he  calls  himself 
Esau's  servant.  "Better  it  is  to  be  an  humble 
spirit  with  the  lowly,  than  to  divide  the  spoil  with 
the  proud." 

But  the  messengers  returned  to  Jacob,  saying, 
"  We  came  to  thy  brother  Esau,  and  also  he  cometh 
to  meet  thee,  and  four  hundred  men  with  him. 
Then  Jacob  was  greatly  afraid,  and  distressed :  and 
he  divided  the  people  that  was  with  him,  and  the 
flocks,  and  the  herds,  and  the  camels,  into  two 
bands  ;  and  said,  If  Esau  come  to  the  one  company, 
and  smite  it,  then  the  other  company  which  is  left 
shall  escape."  Jacob  was  for  peace,  but  when  he 
speaks,  he  finds  his  brother  is  for  war.  The  dan- 
ger is  come,  it  is  drawing  near.  What  will  Jacob 
do  ?  He  has  no  armed  men  with  him  :  will  he  flee 
away  from  Esau,  as  he  did  before,  and  hide  his  help- 
less children  from  his  brother's  fury  ?  No  ;  it  is 
true  he  has  no  might  against  this  great  company 
that  cometh  against  him  ;  neither  knows  he  what  to 


94  Jacob's    return, 

do ;  but  his  eyes  are  upon  the  Lord.  God  had  bid 
him  return,  and  had  promised  to  deal  well  with 
him  ;  and  Jacob  will  go  forward,  whoever  may  rise 
up  against  him.  "  They  that  trust  in  the  Lord  shall 
be  as  Mount  Zion;  which  cannot  be  removed,  but 
abideth  for  ever."  Jacob  could  not  fight;  he  was 
a  peaceful  shepherd,  leading  his  sheep  and  his 
lambs  to  a  resting-place  :  Jacob  would  not  flee ; 
but  there  was  one  thing  Jacob  could  and  would  do, 
and  that  one  thing  was  better  than  all  other  things 
— "Jacob  prayed  unto  the  Lord  his  God,  and  said, 
0  God  of  my  father  Abraham,  and  God  of  my 
father  Isaac,  the  Lord  which  saidst  unto  me,  Return 
unto  thy  country,  and  to  thy  kindred,  and  I  will 
deal  well  with  thee :  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least 
of  all  the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth,  which  thou 
hast  shewed  unto  thy  servant :  for  with  my  staff  I 
passed  over  this  Jordan;  and  now  I  am  become 
two  bands.  Deliver  me,  I  pray  thee,  from  the 
hand  of  my  brother,  from  the  hand  of  Esau  :  for  I 
fear  him,  lest  he  will  come  and  smite  me,  and  the 
mother  with  the  children.  And  thou  saidst,  I  will 
surely  do  thee  good,  and  make  thy  seed  as  the  sand 
of  the  sea,  which  cannot  be  numbered  for  multi- 


Jacob's    return.  95 

tilde."  This  was  Jacob's  prayer  unto  the  Lord  his 
God. 

After  this  he  sent  a  present  to  Esau  his  brother  ; 
five  droves  of  cattle ;  and  a  servant  with  every 
drove.  First,  two  hundred  goats;  then,  two  hun- 
dred sheep ;  then  thirty  camels,  with  their  colts ; 
next  forty  cows,  and  ten  bulls ;  then  twenty  asses, 
and  ten  foals.  One  drove  followed  another,  with  a 
space  between  each  ;  and  Jacob  commanded  each 
servant  to  say  to  Esau,  "  These  be  thy  servant  Ja- 
cob's ;  it  is  a  present  unto  my  lord  Esau  ;  and  be- 
hold also  he  is  behind  us.  So  went  the  present 
over  before  him."  And  he  arose  up  that  night,  and 
sent  all  his  family  over  the  little  brook  of  water  that 
lay  before  them  ;  and  he  sent  over  all  that  he  had. 
And  Jacob  was  left  alone. 

You  remember  once  before  when  Jacob  was 
alone  on  his  journey,  and  it  was  night.  You  re- 
member all  that  he  then  saw  and  heard.  Twenty 
years  had  passed  away,  and  now  Jacob  was  travel- 
ling back  the  same  road,  it  was  the  night  again,  and 
Jacob  was  left  alone.  But  he  was  not  alone  now 
because  there  was  no  one  to  bear  him  company. 
No ;  he  had  left  them  all,  because  he  loved  to  be 


96  Jacob's   dream. 

alone  with  God.  Did  he  see  again  that  wondrous 
ladder,  let  down  from  the  open  sky,  and  the  Lord 
God  standing  above  it  ?  No  ;  Jacob  had  learned 
the  lesson  that  Heavenly  ladder  was  meant  to  teach 
him,  he  had  come  to  God  by  the  Saviour,  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  now  he  did  not  need  to  have  the  ladder 
shewn  to  him  again.  Did  he  see  the  angels  of 
God  coming  down  from  Heaven  to  help  him  ?  No  ; 
Jacob  had  seen  the  holy  angels,  they  had  met  him 
on  his  way,  and  he  had  known  them  to  be  God's 
mighty  host :  but  Jacob  could  not  be  satisfied  with 
only  angels  near  him  ;  he  thought  upon  his  sin,  and 
he  wanted  his  Saviour — nothing  else  could  satisfy 
him ;  he  had  turned  from  the  angels  to  God  in  ear- 
nest prayer.  Was  Jacob  left  long  alone  ?  No : 
there  wrestled  a  Man  with  him  till  the  breaking  of 
the  day ;  and  that  Man  was  his  Saviour,  the  Lord 
from  Heaven.  And  when  the  morning  light  dawned 
in  the  eastern  sky,  He  said  to  Jacob,  Let  me  go,  for 
the  day  breaketh.  But  Jacob  held  his  Saviour  fast, 
and  said,  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless 
me.  And  he  said  unto  Jacob,  What  is  thy  name  ? 
And  he  said  Jacob.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
Thy  name  shall  be  no  more  called  Jacob,  but  Israel 


Jacob's    return.  97 

(a  Prince  of  God),  for  as  a  Prince  hast  thou  power 
with  God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed.  And 
the  Lord  blessed  hirn  there.  And  Jacob  said,  I 
have  seen  God  face  to  face,  and  my  life  is  pre- 
served." 

"  Then  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked,  and 
behold  Esau  came,  and  with  him  four  hundred  men. 
And  Jacob  passed  on  before,  and  bowed  himself  to 
the  ground  seven  times,  until  he  came  near  to  his 
brother."  But  all  was  peace  now.  God  had  soft- 
ened Esau's  heart ;  and  he  ran  to  meet  Jacob,  and 
embraced  him,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him, 
and  they  wept,  "  When  a  man's  ways  please  the 
Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace 
with  him." 

"  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  wo- 
men and  the  children ;  and  said,  Who  are  those 
with  thee  ?  And  Jacob  said,  The  children  which 
God  hath  graciously  given  unto  thy  servant."  Then 
Jacob's  family  came  near,  and  bowed  before  their 
Uncle  Esau.  That  child  who  holds  his  mothers 
hand  is  Jacob's  youngest  son  Joseph  ;  he  is  looking 
on  with  wonder  while  his  father  meets  the  strange, 
rou^h  man  whom  he  had  never  seen  before.     Esau 


98 


JACOBS     RETURN. 


did  not  like  to  take  the  present  that  Jacob  sent 
him :  he  said,  "  I  have  enough,  my  brother,  keep 
that  thou  hast  unto  thyself."  But  Jacob  urged  him 
to  receive  it,  and  he  took  it.  Esau  would  have 
stayed  with  Jacob,  to  protect  him  as  he  travelled  ; 
or  he  would  have  left  some  of  his  four  hundred  men 
to  guard  him.  But  Jacob  better  loved  to  have  the 
holy  angels'  gentle  care  :  so  he  said,  "  What  need- 
eth  it  ?"     And  Esau  returned  to  his  home. 

Jacob  travelled  on  his  way,  and  came  to  Shechem, 
in  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  and  there  he  bought  a  piece 
of  ground  ;  it  was  only  a  small  piece,  but  it  was  all 
that  Jacob  possessed  of  that  land  which  was  one  day 
to  belong  entirely  to  his  children's  children.  Jacob 
bought  it  to  build  an  altar  there,  and  offer  a  sacri- 
fice to  God.  Joseph,  that  child  who  holds  his 
mother's  hand,  the  beloved  child  of  his  father  Jacob, 
and  the  favored  child  of  God,  stood  by  the  altar 
that  his  father  built  to  worship  God.  And  there, 
where  that  altar  stood,  four  hundred  years  after- 
wards, the  many  thousands  of  Israel  laid  the 
honored  bones  of  Joseph,  to  rest  till  his  Saviour's 
voice  shall  call  him  from  his  grave.     And  there, 


Jacob's   return.  09 

fourteen  hundred  years  later,  the  blessed  Jesus  sate, 
wearied  with  his  journey,  to  rest  on  Jacob's  well. 
John,  iv.  5,  6. 

It  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  in  Heaven 
that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish. — Matthew, 
xviii.  14. 


XIV. 

ACOB  had  now  been  some  time  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,  and  yet  he  had  not  reached  his 
father's  house  ;  he  had  not  reached  that 
home  he  had  longed  so  much  to  see  again. 
He  was  not  afraid  of  Esau  now :  why  then 
did  he  not  return  ?  Perhaps  it  was  his 
mother  he  had  longed  so  much  to  see,  and  now  he 
heard  that  she  was  gone  to  her  rest.  Jacob  would 
hear  from  Esau  his  brother,  that  his  mother  was  no 
more  on  earth  ;  and  from  that  time  he  seems  to 
have  lingered  on  his  journey,  as  though  he  could 
not,  for  a  little  while,  bear  to  return  to  the  home 
where  he  had  thought  that  she  would  be.  Debo- 
rah, his  mother's  nurse,  had  come  to  him  :  we  do 
not  know  when  she  came  ;  she  must  have  been  a 
very  aged  woman,  but  she  did  not  mind  the  fatigue 


JOSEPH.  101 

of  travelling,  that  she  might  go  to  Jacob — the  son 
whom  her  departed  mistress  loved  so  well,  and 
whom  she  had  nursed.  She  would  hear  of  Jacob's 
arrival  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  from  Esau,  and  she 
left  her  masters  house  to  go  to  the  tents  of  Jacob, 
and  to  see  the  children  whom  God  had  given  him. 
She  would  tell  Jacob  about  his  mother,  and  how  his 
mother  had  thought  of  him,  and  how  she  had  died 
in  peace,  and  been  laid  by  holy  Abraham  and  by 
Sarah's  side.  Jacob  loved  his  nurse,  and  his  chil- 
dren learned  very  soon  to  love  her  also.  I  dare 
say  Joseph  was  her  favorite  child,  because  he  was 
the  youngest,  and  he  was  the  child  of  his  father's 
love,  for  he  was  not  rebellious  as  his  elder  brothers 
were ;  he  was  an  obedient  and  a  gentle  child. 

"And  God  said  unto  Jacob,  Arise,  go  up  to 
Bethel,  and  dwell  there ;  and  make  an  altar  unto 
God,  that  appeared  unto  thee  when  thou  fleddest 
from  the  face  of  Esau  thy  brother.  Then  Jacob  said 
unto  his  family,  Let  us  arise,  and  go  up  to  Bethel ; 
and  I  will  make  there  an  altar  unto  God,  who  an- 
swered me  in  the  day  of  my  distress,  and  was  with 
me  in  the  way  which  I  went."  You  remember  that 
the  first  thing1  Jacob  asked  was,  that  God  would 


102  JOSEPH. 

be  with  him ;  and  now  that  so  many  years  have 
passed  away,  this  is  what  Jacob  still  thinks  most 
about.  He  does  not  say  that  he  will  build  an  altar 
to  God  who  had  kept  him,  or  who  had  given  him 
more  than  bread  to  eat  and  raiment  to  put  on,  or 
who  now  led  him  back  in  peace  to  his  father's 
house.  No  ;  God  had  done  all  these  things  for  him, 
but  that  which  he  thinks  most  of  now,  is  that  which 
he  cared  for  more  than  all — God  being  with  Mm. 
"  So  Jacob  came  to  Bethel,  he  and  all  the  people 
that  were  with  him.  And  he  built  there  an  altar, 
because  God  appeared  to  him  when  he  fled  from 
the  face  of  his  brother." 

But  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  died ;  and  she 
was  buried  beneath  Bethel,  under  an  oak  ;  and  the 
name  of  it  was  called,  The  oak  of  weeping.  Jacob 
was  far  away  when  they  laid  his  mother  in  the 
grave,  but  he  wept  at  the  grave  of  his  nurse,  and 
his  children  wept :  so  many  tears  were  shed,  that 
they  called  the  oak  under  which  they  laid  her,  The 
oak  of  weeping.  Young  Joseph  wept  by  his  father's 
side.  Perhaps  it  was  the  first  sorrow  he  had  ever 
known.  Deborah  was  very  old,  and  had  not  been 
long  with  Jacob's  family,  yet  see  Iioav  they  loved 


JOSEPH.  103 

her.  She  was  a  servant,  and  yet  they  loved  her  as 
a  friend.  She  was  old  and  feeble,  and  wanted  them 
to  wait  on  her,  yet  how  they  loved  her.  This 
teaches  ns  that  it  does  not  depend  upon  what  we 
can  do  for  others,  but  upon  what  we  are  in  our  own 
spirit  and  disposition,  whether  we  have  much,  or 
only  a  little  of  the  love  of  others.  No  doubt  the 
aged  Deborah  was  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  and  God 
had  given  her  to  see  the  prayers  she  had  offered  up 
for  Jacob  all  answered;  and  she  could  say,  "  Lord, 
now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  And 
those  she  loved  the  best  on  earth  laid  her  to  her 
rest.  She  was  laid  in  holy  ground,  the  very  place 
where  Jacob  laid  down  to  sleep  the  first  night  he 
had  left  his  home,  and  where  he  saw  the  ladder 
from  Heaven  to  Earth,  and  where  the  Lord  had 
blessed  him,  and  where  he  had  given  himself  to 
God.  And  now  he  was  come  back  safe  to  the  same 
place  to  worship  God,  a  rich  man,  and  all  his  chil- 
dren around  him  :  there  Deborah  died,  and  in  that 
holy  ground  she .  sleeps  till  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead. 

"And   God    appeared   unto    Jacob    again,    and 
blessed  him.     And  God  said  unto  him,  Thy  name 


104  JOSEPH. 

is  Jacob ;  thy  name  shall  not  be  called  any  more 
Jacob,  but  Israel  shall  be  thy  name ;  and  God  called 
his  name  Israel.  And  God  said  unto  him,  I  am 
God  Almighty  :  the  land  which  I  gave  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  to  thee  I  will  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed 
after  thee  will  I  give  the  land.  And  God  went  up 
from  him,  in  the  place  where  He  talked  with  him. 
And  Jacob  set  up  a  pillar  in  the  place  where  God 
talked  with  him  :  even  a  pillar  of  stone.  And  Ja- 
cob called  the  name  of  the  place  where  God  spake 
with  him,  Bethel."  This  was  the  place  where  God 
had  first  given  His  blessing  to  Jacob,  and  now  He 
blessed  him  again.  Jacob  always  kept  the  love  of 
God's  blessing  warm  within  his  heart,  and  therefore 
it  was  given  him  again  and  again.  The  more  that 
we  love,  and  long,  and  pray  for  the  blessing  of 
God,  the  more  shall  we  receive  of  it :  that  blessing 
never  comes  down  upon  a  thoughtless  heart.  When 
Jacob  first  saw  the  Lord  God,  it  was  above  the  lad- 
der, up  in  Heaven  ;  but  now  that  Jacob  had  learned 
to  go  to  God  by  his  Saviour,  God  came  down  to 
earth,  and  talked  with  Jacob.  God  did  not  forget 
how  Jacob  had  overcome  Him  by  prayer — God 
calls  him  not  Jacob,  but  Israel,  that  name  which 


JOSEPH.  105 

means  a  Prince,  because  as  a  Prince  he  had  power 
with  God,  and  had  prevailed.  Now  you  will  know 
tliat  Israel  is  the  high  and  holy  name  which  God 
gave  to  Jacob- 

And  they  journeyed  from  Bethel.  And  God 
gave  Jacob  another  son,  and  Jacob  called  his  name 
Benjamin ;  but  Benjamin's  mother  died ;  and  Ben- 
jamin was  left,  a  little  helpless  infant,  to  his  father's 
tender  care,  and  to  his  young  brother  Joseph's  love. 
Rachel  was  Benjamin's  mother's  name,  and  she 
died  ;  and  Jacob  mourned  for  his  beloved  wife  ; 
and  Joseph  stood  again  at  his  father's  side  by  the 
grave  to  weep — and  now  it  was  his  mothers  grave. 
And  Jacob  set  a  pillar  on  the  grave,  and  there  it 
stood  for  hundreds  of  years,  long  after  Jacob,  and 
Rachel,  and  Joseph  had  met  again  in  their  Saviour's 
presence  above. 

"  And  Jacob  came  unto  Isaac  his  father  unto 
Mamre,  which  is  Hebron,  where  Abraham  and  Isaac 
sojourned.  And  the  days  of  Isaac  were  an  hundred 
and  eighty  years.  And  Isaac  died,  and  was  gather- 
ed unto  his  people  ;  being  old  and  full  of  days  ;  and 
his  sons  Esau  and  Jacob  buried  him,"  by  Abraham 
his  father's  side. 


106  JOSEPH. 

"  And  Esau  took  all  the  persons  of  his  house,  and 
his  cattle,  and  all  his  substance  which  he  had  got  in 
the  land  of  Canaan ;  and  went  into  the  country 
from  the  face  of  his  brother  Jacob  ;  for  their  riches 
were  more  than  that  they  might  dwell  together ; 
and  the  land  wherein  they  were  strangers  could  not 
bear  them,  because  of  their  cattle.  Thus  Esau 
dwelt  in  Mount  Seir.  And  Jacob  dwelt  in  the 
land  wherein  his  father  was  a  stranger,  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,"  which  was  the  land  that  God  gave  to 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  by  promise. 

Jacob  had  now  lost  from  earth  his  mother,  who 
had  loved  him  so  tenderly ;  Deborah  his  faithful 
nurse  ;  .Rachel  his  beloved  wife  ;  and  Isaac  his 
father :  four  times  he  had  mourned  for  the  dead ; 
and  Joseph*,  his  precious  child,  had  been  his  earthly 
comfort.  Jacob  had  ten  sons  older  than  Joseph, 
but  they  were  his  sorrow  and  not  his  comfort :  they 
were  disobedient  to  God,  unthankful,  unholy :  but 
Joseph  was  the  child  of  God's  Heavenly  grace ;  as 
Jacob's  father  Isaac  had  been — who  in  his  early 
years  gave  himself  up  to  die  at  God's  command. 
You  remember  that  God  had  given  Jacob  the  name 
of  Israel  now.     No  wonder  that  Israel  loved  Joseph 


JOSEPH.  107 

more  than  all  his  children,  for  he  was  the  son  and 
the  comfort  of  his  old  age.  And  his  father  made 
him  a  coat  of  many  colors.  Bat  when  his  brothers 
saw  that  his  father  loved  him  more  than  he  loved 
them,  they  hated  him,  and  could  not  speak  peace- 
ably unto  hirn. 

One  night  when  Joseph  was  sleeping  upon  his 
bed,  he  dreamed  a  dream :  he  thought  he  was  at 
work  with  his  brothers  in  the  harvest-fields,  binding 
up  the  corn  in  sheaves.  And  he  thought  that  his 
sheaf  arose  and  stood  upright,  and  that  his  brothers' 
sheaves  stood  around  it,  and  bowed  down  to  it. 
And  he  told  his  brothers  the  dream  which  he  had 
dreamed.  But  they  said  to  him,  "  Shalt  thou  in- 
deed reign  over  us  ?  or  shalt  thou  indeed  have  do- 
minion over  us  ?  And  they  hated  him  yet  the 
more,  for  his  dreams  and  for  his  words.  And  he 
dreamed  yet  another  dream,  and  told  it  to  his 
brothers,  and  said.  Behold,  I  have  dreamed  a  dream 
more ;  and  behold  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and  the 
eleven  stars  bowed  down  to  me.  And  he  told  the 
dream  to  his  father,  and  to  his  brothers  ;  and  his 
father  rebuked  him,  and  said  unto  him,  What  is  this 
dream  that  thou  hast  dreamed?     Shall  I,  and  thy 


108  JOSEPH. 

mother,  and  thy  brothers,  indeed  come  to  bow 
down  ourselves  to  thee  to  the  earth  ?  And  his 
brothers  envied  him  ;  but  his  father  observed  the 
saying."  These  dreams  were  from  no  pride  of  Jo- 
seph's heart ;  they  were  from  God.  You  see  he 
stands  among  his  brothers,  and  tells  the  dream  to 
them  ;  but  like  wicked  Cain,  they  hate  their  gentle 
brother,  though  he  is  but  a  child  to  them :  but  he 
who  has  the  love  of  God,  need  fear  no  evil,  though 
all  the  world  should  frown  upon  him.  When  the 
blessed  Jesus  was  a  child,  younger  than  Joseph,  he 
stood  alone  among  the  elders  of  his  own  people  the 
Jews — it  was  in  the  same  land  of  Canaan,  and  among 
the  descendants  of  Jacob's  sons,  the  Children  of  Is- 
rael. He  stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  old  and  learn- 
ed men,  and  they  wondered  at  His  words ;  but,  like 
Joseph's  brothers,  they  Avould  not  follow  His  ex- 
ample, they  would  not  learn  of  the  beloved  Son  of 
God,  who  was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  there- 
fore they  could  not  find  rest  unto  their  souls.  Young 
as  the  Holy  Jesus  then  was,  he  could  have  taught 
the  Jews  to  love  and  know  His  Father  in  Heaven, 
if  they  would  have  learned  of  Him,  but  they  would 
not.     And  Joseph's  brothers  might  have  learned 


JOSEPH.  109 

the  happy  lesson  of  obedience  from  Him,  but  they 
would  not.  The  Bible  says,  "  The  way  of  a  fool  is 
right  in  his  own  eyes ;  but  he  that  hearkeneth 
unto  counsel  is  wise."  Would  you  be  like  Joseph, 
the  child  whom  God  and  his  father  loved  ?  or  like 
his  hard-hearted  and  envious  brothers,  who  sinned 
against  God  and  their  father  ?  If  you  would  be 
like  Joseph,  you  must  try  to  set  a  good  example  to 
others,  both  by  your  actions  and  your  words.  You 
must  be  a  child  of  obedience,  truth,  and  love.  Ask 
of  God  to  give  you  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Christ  Jesus 
that  you  may  be  so.  And  if  you  would  not  be  like 
Joseph's  hardened  brothers,  you  must  not  turn 
away  from  the  good  example,  and  the  words  of 
counsel  set  before  you,  but  must  try  to  follow  them : 
then  you  will  be  a  follower  of  the  Holy  Jesus,  and 
the  child  of  your  Father  in  Heaven. 

Even  a  child  is  known  by  his  doings,  whether  his 
work  be  pure,  and  whether  it  be  right. — Proverbs, 
xx.  11. 


XV. 

ND  Joseph's  brothers  went  to  feed  their 

pfffl    father's   flock   in    Shechem.      And   Israel 

fS\^  said   unto   his   son    Joseph,    Do   not   thy 

\=^k    brothers  feed  the  flock  in  Shechem?    Come, 

qj      and  I  will  send  thee  unto  them.     And  Jo- 

seph  said  to  his  father,  Here  am  I.     And 

his  filth er  said  to  him,  Go,  I  pray  thee,  see  whether 

it   be  well  with    thy  brothers,  and  well  with   the 

flocks;  and  bring  me  word  again."     Joseph  knew 

his  brothers'  feeling  against  him,  he  knew  that  they 

could  not  even  speak  peaceably  to  him ;  he  knew 

also  how  his  father  loved  him,  and  that  he  would 

not  like  to  expose  him  tetany  trouble;  but  he  did 

not  say  a  word  against  his  father's  command.   When 

his  father  called  him  to  go  alone  to  his  envious  and 

cruel  brothers,  he  made  answer  directly,  "  Here  am 


JOSEPH.  Ill 

I."  Shall  I  toll  you  what  it  was  that  made  Joseph 
so  obedient?  It  was  because  God  had  sent  down 
into  Joseph's  heart  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  even  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  this  made  Joseph  like  His  Saviour; 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  was  obedient  in  all  things  to 
His  Heavenly  Father's  will ;  He  was  the  beloved 
Son  of  God ;  but  when  His  Heavenly  Father  sent 
him  into  this  world  to  become  the  brother  of  sinful 
men,  to  suffer  and  to  die  by  their  wicked  hands,  He 
said  directly,  "  Lo  I  come."  Joseph  said,  "  Here 
am  I."  And  the  Lord  Jesus  said,  "  Lo  I  come." 
You  see  the  same  Holy  Spirit  of  obedience  dwelt  in 
both — Joseph  had  the  Spirit  of  God's  beloved  Son  : 
and  so  had  the  blessed  Isaac,  who  lay  down  upon 
the  altar  to  die  :  and  so  had  Abraham,  who  took 
the  knife  to  slay  his  son,  his  only  son,  whom  he 
loved,  at  God's  command :  and  so  has  every  child 
and  servant  of  God — we  may  know  them  by  this, 
from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest — they  have  learned 

OBEDIENCE. 

So  Israel  sent  Joseph  his  son  out  of  the  vale  of 
Hebron,  and  he  came  to  Shechem.  But  his  brothers 
were  not  there.  Did  Joseph  then  return  to  his 
father  and  tell  him  that  he  had  been,  and  they  were 


112  JOSEPH. 

not  there  ?  No  ;  he  was  bsnt  upon  obedience  to 
his  father's  will,  and  he  would  seek  them  till  he 
found  them.  "  And  a  certain  man  found  him,  and, 
behold,  he  was  wandering  in  the  field ;  and  the 
man  asked  him,  saying,  What  seekest  thou  ?  And 
he  said,  I  seek  my  brothers :  tell  me,  I  pray  thee, 
where  they  feed  their  flocks.  And  the  man  said, 
They  are  departed  hence ;  for  I  heard  them  say, 
Let  us  go  to  Dothan.  And  Joseph  went  after  his 
brothers,  and  found  them  in  Dothan.  And  when 
they  saw  him  afar  off,  even  before  he  came  near 
unto  them,  they  conspired  against  him  to  slay  him. 
And  they  said  one  to  another,  Behold,  this  Dreamer 
cometh.  Come  now,  therefore,  and  let  us  slay  him, 
and  cast  him  into  some  pit ;  and  we  will  say,  Some 
evil  beast  hath  devoured  him ;  and  we  shall  see 
what  will  become  of  his  dreams.  And  Reuben,  Jo- 
seph's eldest  brother,  said  unto  them,  Shed  no 
blood,  but  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  lay  no  hand  upon  him  ;  that  he  might 
rid  him  out  of  their  hands,  to  deliver  him  to  his 
father  again."  Joseph  must  have  been  faint  with 
fatigue,  hunger,  and  thirst,  after  walking  so  far  to 
find  his  brothers ;  and  now  at  last  he  saw  them  with 


JOSEPH.  113 

their  flocks  and  their  tents  ;  but  there  was  no  wel- 
come, no  rest,  no  food  for  Joseph.  There  was  no 
love,  no  pity  in  the  hard  hearts  of  his  brothers. 
Their  aged  father  had  sent  his  beloved  son  to  see 
how  they  were,  but  they  ask  no  questions  about 
their  father :  they  conspire  together  against  their 
innocent  brother,  and  all  their  thoughts  are  to  take 
away  his  life ;  all  except  Reuben, — he  keeps  them 
back  from  shedding  Joseph's  blood. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  when  Joseph  was  come 
unto  his  brothers,  that  they  stripped  Joseph  out  of 
his  coat,  his  coat  of  many  colors  that  was  on  him : 
and  they  took  him  and  cast  him  into  a  pit :  and  the 
pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it.  And  they 
sat  down  to  eat  bread."  The  wilderness  was  a  place 
dreary  enough  for  Jacob's  beloved  child  to  be  left 
in  alone,  but  this  would  not  satisfy  his  cruel  bro- 
thers, they  cast  him  into  a  deep  pit ;  perhajjs  he 
might  have  found  his  way  out  of  the  wilderness 
home  to  his  father,  but  he  could  not  get  out  of  the 
pit :  the  burning  sun  would  beat  upon  him  there, 
and  there  was  no  water  to  quench  his  thirst.  He 
entreated  his  brothers  not  to  cast  him  in,  and  they 
saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul  when  he  besought  them, 


114  JOSEPH. 

but  they  would  not  hear :  they  turned  away  from 
his  piercing  cry,  and  sat  down  to  eat  bread.  0  see 
how  Satan  had  hardened  their  hearts,  they  could  see 
their  young  brother's  anguish,  they  could  leave  him 
to  die  of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  then  sit  down  them- 
selves to  eat  and  to  drink !  Israel  could  not  hear 
Joseph's  cry,  he  had  no  thought  of  what  was  done, 
he  could  not  see  the  pit  in  the  wilderness,  and  his 
darling  child  at  the  bottom  of  it,  stripped  of  his 
many-colored  coat.  There  was  no  earthly  helper 
near.  But  there  was  one  Eye  that  saw ;  one  Ear 
that  heard ;  even  God  his  Saviour,  even  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  beloved  Son  of  God,  who  was  one  day 
Himself  to  be  left  alone  in  the  waste,  howling  wil- 
derness. Joseph  could  look  up,  even  from  that 
deep  pit,  to  his  Father  in  Heaven :  and  God  looked 
down  upon  him  in  tender  pity  and  love.  Joseph's 
cruel  brothers  had  him  far  away  from  his  earthly 
father :  but  they  could  not  separate  him  from  his 
Father  in  Heaven.  God  heard  the  voice  of  Joseph 
out  of  the  deep  pit.  He  heard  his  sighs,  He  heard 
the  faintest  breath  he  drew. 

"  His  brothers  sat  down  to  eat  bread  :  and  they 
lifted  up  their  eyes  and  looked,  and,  behold,  a  com- 


JOSHPH.  115 

pany  of  Ishmaelites  came  from  Gilead,  with  their 
camels  bearing  spicery,  and  balm,  and  myrrh,  going 
to  carry  it  down  to  Egypt.  And  Judali  said  unto 
his  brethren,  What  profit  is  it  if  we  slay  our  brother, 
and  conceal  his  blood  ?  Come,  and  let  us  sell  him, 
and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him  :  for  he  is  our 
brother,  and  our  flesh.  And  his  brethren  were 
content."  It  was  God  who  kept  these  cruel  bro- 
thers from  their  wicked  purpose.  He  would  not 
suffer  Joseph's  life  to  be  taken  from  the  earth. 
"  And  they  drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the 
pit,  and  sold  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites  for  twenty 
pieces  of  silver  :  so  Joseph  was  taken  into  Egypt." 
lleuben  was  not  there  when  Joseph  was  sold  for  a 
slave ;  perhaps  he  wTas  gone  to  find  some  means  by 
which  he  could  get  Joseph  back  to  his  father :  but 
when  he  returned  to  the  pit,  behold  Joseph  was  not 
in  the  pit ;  and  he  rent  his  clothes  in  his  distress. 
And  he  returned  unto  his  brethren,  and  said,  "  The 
child  is  not,  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go  ?" 

And  they  took  Joseph's  coat,  his  coat  of  many 
colors  that  his  father  gave  him,  and  they  killed  a 
kid  and  dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood.  "  And  they 
sent  the  coat  of  many  colors,  and  they  brought  it  to 


116  JOSEPH. 

their  father  ;  and  said,  This  have  we  found :  know 
now  whether  it  be  thy  son's  coat  or  no.  And  Israel 
knew  it,  and  said,  It  is  my  son's  coat ;  an  evil  beast 
hath  devoured  him  :  Joseph  is  without  doubt  rent 
in  pieces.  And  Jacob  rent  his  clothes,  and  put 
sackcloth  upon  his  loins,  and  mourned  for  his  son 
many  days.  And  all  his  sons  and  all  his  daughters 
rose  up  to  comfort  him;  but  he  refused  to  be  com- 
forted :  and  he  said,  For  I  will  go  down  into  the 
grave  unto  my  son  mourning.  Thus  his  father 
wept  for  him." 

But  Joseph  was  not  in  the  grave — Joseph  had 
been  taken  from  the  pit  wherein  was  no  water :  but 
Israel  his  father  did  not  know  this.  He  only  saw 
the  coat  of  many  colors  dipped  in  blood  :  he  knew  it 
was  Joseph's  coat,  he  thought  it  must  be  Joseph's 
blood  :  he  thought  some  evil  beast  had  robbed  him 
of  his  child :  he  could  not  think  that  his  own  chil- 
dren could  be  more  cruel  than  the  beasts  of  prey. 
Do  you  remember  that  when  Israel  was  a  son  him- 
self, he  had  taken  the  skin  of  a  kid  to  deceive  his 
father  Isaac  ?  And  now  that  he  is  old  and  feeble, 
his  sons  deceive  him  with  the  blood  of  a  kid  :  they 
make  their  father  think  that  the  blood  of  a  kid  is 


JOSEPH.  117 

Joseph's  blood,  as  be  had  made  his  father  Isaac 
think  that  the  skin  of  a  kid  was  Esau's  skin.  Cod 
punishes  his  children  in  this  world  :  but  those  who 
are  not  His  children  will  have  to  bear  their  punish- 
ment far  away  from  God  for  ever  and  ever. 

God  called  Abraham  to  part  with  Isaac  his  only 
son,  by  a  death  of  blood ;  but  when  the  last  mo- 
ment came,  God  spared  him  to  his  father  unhurt, 
and  full  of  blessing  from  above.  God  called  Israel 
to  give  up  Joseph,  he  mourned  and  wept  for  him, 
for  he  thought  him  dead  by  violence  and  blood; 
but  at  last  God  restored  him  unhurt,  and  full  of  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord :  for  "  like  as  a  father  piticth 
his  children,  so  the  Lord  piticth  them  that  fear 
Him."  But  God  did  not  spare  His  own  beloved 
Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all.  The  Lord 
Jesus  took  our  nature  upon  Him,  and  became  man's 
Brother.  He  left  His  home  in  Heaven,  and  came 
to  visit  us,  to  bring  us  His  father's  message  of  peace 
and  love.  He  was  weary,  and  hungry,  and  thirsty, 
for  our  sakes  ;  but  we  felt  no  pity.  He  was  de- 
spised and  rejected  of  men,  full  of  sorrow  and  grief, 
and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  Ilim.  Men, 
His  brethren,  hated  Him  ;   and  when  they  saw  Him, 


118  JOSEPH. 

they  said,  Come,  let  us  kill  Him.  They  sold  Him 
for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  And  they  stripped  His 
raiment  off  from  Him ;  His  coat  which  had  no  seam 
in  it,  woven  from  the  top  throughout.  And  they 
shed  His  precious  blood — His  vesture  is  dipped  in 
His  own  blood.  His  life  was  taken  from  the  earth. 
He  was  laid  in  the  grave's  dark  pit ;  and  tasted 
death  for  every  man.  Pie  was  Joseph's  God  and 
Saviour ;  by  His  death  Joseph  found  everlasting 
life,  and  so  will  all  who  love  His  name.  In  all  that 
Jacob's  beloved  son  suffered  we  see,  as  in  a  picture, 
a  faint  likeness  to  the  far  greater  sufferings,  even 
unto  death,  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  God's  beloved  Son, 
for  us  and  for  our  salvation. 

As  for  Thee  also,  by  the  blood  of  Thy  covenant,  I 
have  sent  forth  Thy  prisoners  out  of  the  pit  wherein 
is  no  water. — Zechariah,  ix.  11. 


JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT. 


Sunday  Afternoons 


XVI. 

|osfj)!]   in   <tjj.|t 

ND  the  Midianites  sold  Joseph  into  Egypt, 
unto  Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh's,  and 
captain  of  the  guard.  Joseph  was  now  in  a 
N^r^p  strange  country ;  there  was  not  a  face,  not 
£^  a  voice  he  knew  in  all  the  land ;  no  one  to 
*&  pity,  no  one  to  care  for  the  friendless  slave. 
How  often  Joseph  must  have  wept  when  he  thought 
upon  his  home,  his  aged  father,  and  his  young  bro- 
ther Benjamin !  He  had  lost  them,  and  they  had 
lost  him.  Would  it  break  his  father's  heart,  would 
his  father  die  because  he  would  not  return  again  ? 
Joseph  might  think  that  perhaps  he  would,  and  they 
would  lay  him  in  the  grave,  and  he  would  never 
see  his  father  again  !  His  cruel  brothers  would  be 
sure  not  to  tell  their  father  what  they  had  done, 
therefore  his  father  must  think  him  dead,  and  would 


120  JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT. 

not  know  where  to  look  for  him.  Little  Benjamin 
would  cry  for  him,  but  perhaps  he  would  soon  for- 
get him  ;  and  then  there  would  be  no  one  in  all  the 
world  who  loved  him  :  and  he  only  a  poor  slave. 
It  would  have  been  a  little  comfort  if  he  might  but 
have  had  the  coat  his  father  made  him,  that  he 
might  wrap  it  round  him,  and  look  at  it,  and  think 
of  his  father's  love  :  but  his  brothers  had  taken  all 
away  from  him,  even  the  garment  that  covered 
him.  0  Joseph,  do  not  grieve  for  that  coat  of 
many  colors !  The  loss  of  it  only  makes  you  more 
like  your  Saviour,  God's  beloved  Son.  His  Hea- 
venly Father  clothed  Him  in  the  brightness  of  His 
glory  :  that  was  the  robe  of  many  rays  the  blessed 
Jesus  wore  when  He  dwelt  in  His  Father's  house, 
but  He  left  it  behind,  when  He  came  to  suffer  and 
to  die  for  sinners.  He  did  not  keep  a  single  token 
of  His  Heavenly  Father's  love  ;  and  you,  happy  and 
honored  Joseph,  are  to  show  your  Saviour  forth  to 
all  the  world  till  the  end  of  time. 

Joseph  did  not  know  that  he  was  bearing  his 
Saviour's  image  in  his  sorrow :  he  had  not  this 
thought  to  comfort  him.  Did  he  then  mourn  and 
and  weep,  and  turn  away  from  all  the  strange  men 


JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT.  121 

around  him  ?  No  ;  Joseph  was  the  child  of  his 
Father  in  Heaven,  and  he  rose  up  in  his  heavy  sor- 
row, and  went  about  his  master's  business,  and  la- 
bored working  with  his  hands  ;  and  the  Lord  was 
with  him.  And  his  master  saw  that  the  Lord  was 
with  him,  and  that  the  Lord  made  all  that  he  did  to 
prosper  in  his  hand.  "  And  Joseph  found  grace  in 
his  master's  sight,  and  he  served  him :  and  he  made 
him  overseer  over  his  house,  and  all  that  he  had  he 
put  into  his  hand.  And  it  came  to  pass,  from  the 
time  that  he  made  him  overseer  in  his  house,  and 
over  all  that  he  had,  that  the  Lord  blessed  the 
Egyptian's  house  for  Joseph's  sake  ;  and  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Lord  was  upon  all  that  he  had,  in  the 
house  and  in  the  field.  And  he  left  all  that  he  had 
in  Joseph's  hand,  and  he  knew  not  ought  he  had, 
save  the  bread  which  he  did  eat."  Joseph  had  been 
the  beloved  son  in  his  father's  house,  but  now  he 
learns  the  obedience  of  a  servant.  His  God  doth 
instruct  him  and  teach  him :  and  he  serves  his  mas- 
ter with  so  much  diligence  and  attention,  that  he 
soon  becomes  the  favorite  servant,  as  he  had  before 
been  the  favorite  son.  The  Bible  says,  "  A  man's 
pride  shall  bring  him  low  ;  but  honor  shall  uphold 


122  JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT. 

the  humble  in  spirit."  In  this  also  Joseph  showed 
that  he  had  the  Spirit  of  Christ :  He  who  was  God 
over  all,  blessed  for  evermore,  yet  made  Himself  of 
no  reputation,  and  took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a 
servant.  We  found  that  Joseph  had  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  by  his  obedience  ;  therefore  no  wonder  that 
we  find  it  now  by  his  humility,  and  readiness  to 
serve.  The  Lord  Jesus  has  said,  "  Whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant." 

When  Joseph  was  a  little  child,  he  must  often 
have  stood  at  his  father's  knee,  and  listened  while 
he  told  him  of  the  journey  that  he  took,  alone  in 
the  world,  when  he  slept  with  a  stone  for  his  pillow, 
and  the  bright  stars  above  his  head :  how  often  he 
must  have  listened,  and  thought  how  terrible  to  be 
alone  in  the  great  world,  with  no  home  and  no 
friend  to  turn  to.  But  his  father  would  tell  him  of 
that  wonderful  blessing,  which  was  dearer  and  bet- 
ter to  him  than  home,  and  friends,  and  all  that  he 
had  in  the  world;  and  Joseph  would  think  about  that 
blessing,  and  his  father  would  teach  him  to  pray 
for  it. 

And  now  Joseph  was  alone,  like  Jacob  his  father, 
alone  in  the  world.     His  cruel  brothers  had  taken 


JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT.  123 

from  him  every  thing  except  his  lii'e,  and  they  only 
spared  that  that  they  might  sell  him  for  money. 
His  lather  Jacob  had  been  free,  but  Joseph's  liberty 
"was  gone,  his  brothers  sold  him  for  a  slave.  Jacob 
had  been  followed  by  the  prayers  of  his  father 
Isaac,  his  mother,  and  his  nurse,  but  Joseph's  bro- 
thers had  taken  from  him  even  his  father's  prayers, 
for  they  made  Jacob  believe  that  Joseph  was  dead. 
When  his  father  Jacob  left  his  home,  Isaac  called 
him,  and  gave  him,  the  second  time,  that  blessing  : 
but  Joseph  had  taken  no  long  farewell  of  his  be- 
loved father,  and  received  no  blessing.  He  would 
think  of  all  these  things,  and  he  would  weep  alone ; 
but  he  soon  found  that  his  father's  God  was  with 
him,  he  soon  found  that  the  blessing  of  holy  Abra- 
ham came  down  upon  him,  morning  and  evening, 
like  the  dew  from  Heaven :  for  God  blessed  him 
and  made  him  a  blessing.  He  hath  said,  "  I  will 
never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.  So  that  we 
may  boldly  say,  The  Lord  is  my  Helper,  and  I  will 
not  fear  what  man  shall  do  unto  me." 

There  was  one  enemy  who  had  followed  Joseph, 
and  who  hoped  to  have  seen  him  perish,  as  a  help- 
less slave:  this  was  Satan:  but  when  the  Evil  Spirit 


124  JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT. 

saw  this  blessed  child  of  God  still  nourish  like  a 
palm-tree,  and  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon,  under 
the  blessing  of  his  God,  he  raised  a  fresh  trouble 
against  Joseph,  in  the  hope  to  destroy  him.  And 
Joseph's  master  was  angry  with  him,  and  put  him  in 
prison,  but  Joseph  had  done  no  wrong.  Joseph 
was  taken  from  his  tender  father's  arms  before,  and 
sold  for  a  slave :  and  now  he  fell  from  his  master's 
favor,  down  into  the  deep,  dark  dungeon  :  and  yet 
he  had  done  no  wrong.  They  hurt  his  feet  with 
heavy  fetters :  he  was  laid  in  iron.  It  was  a  sud- 
den fall,  from  being  head  of  all  his  master's  house, 
into  one  of  Egypt's  vile  dungeons :  but  Satan  could 
not  cast  the  child  of  God  where  God  was  not :  God 
was  in  the  dungeon  with  Joseph,  underneath  him 
were  his  Heavenly  Father's  everlasting  arms,  and 
over  him  God's  banner  of  love. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord, 
whose  Hope  the  Lord  is :  for  He  shall  be  as  a  tree 
planted  by  the  waters,  and  shall  not  see  when  heat 
cometh,  but  her  leaf  shall  be  green  ;  and  shall  not 
be  careful  in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall 
cease  from  yielding  fruit."  Joseph's  trust  was  in 
the  Lord,  therefore  he  soon  began   to  lift  up  his 


J  O  S  E  r  II     IN     EGYPT.  125 

bead.  "  The  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  and  shewed 
him  mercy,  and  gave  him  favor  in  the  sight  of  the 
keeper  of  the  prison.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
committed  to  Joseph's  hand  all  the  prisoners  that 
were  in  the  prison  ;  and  whatsoever  they  did  there, 
he  was  the  doer  of  it.  The  keeper  of  the  prison 
looked  not  to  any  thing  that  was  under  Joseph's 
hand,  because  the  Lord  was  with  him,  and  that 
which  he  did,  the  Lord  made  it  to  prosper."  When 
Joseph  was  in  his  father's  house,  he  was  the  favorite 
child  :  when  he  was  sold  for  a  slave  he  was  the  fa- 
vorite servant ;  and  now,  in  the  prison,  he  is  the 
favorite  prisoner  ;  this  was  nothing  else  than  the 
£-race  and  blessing  of  the  Lord.  Satan  had  filled 
the  heart  of  Cain  to  kill  his  brother  Abel ;  and 
Satan  thought  to  have  killed  Jacob  by  the  hand  of 
Esau,  his  brother  ;  and  Joseph  by  his  brethren's 
hands :  but  God,  who  was  pleased  to  take  the 
righteous  Abel  to  Heaven,  was  pleased  to  keep 
Jacob  and  Joseph  on  the  earth  ;  therefore  Satan 
could  not  prevail  against  them ;  he  cast  them  down 
indeed,  but  the  Lord  lifted  them  up  again.  The 
Lord  granted  them  life  and  favor ;  and  His  visita- 
tion preserved  their  spirit. 


126  JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the 
chief  butler  and  the  chief  baker  of  the  king  of  Egypt 
had  offended  their  lord  the  king  of  Egypt.  And 
king  Pharaoh  was  wroth  with  them,  and  put  them 
into  the  prison,  where  Joseph  was  bound.  And  the 
keeper  of  the  prison  charged  Joseph  with  the  care 
of  them.  And  they  dreamed  a  dream,  both  the 
butler  and  the  baker  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  which 
were  bound  in  the  prison.  And  Joseph  came  in 
unto  them  in  the  morning,  and  looked  upon  them, 
and,  behold,  they  were  sad.  And  he  asked  them, 
Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  to-day  ? — For  Joseph 
knew  the  heart  of  a  prisoner.  And  they  said  unto 
him,  We  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is  no  in- 
terpretation of  it.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  Do 
not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  Tell  me  your 
dreams,  I  pray  you.  "And  the  chief  butler  told 
his  dream  to  Joseph,  and  said  to  him,  In  my  dream, 
behold,  a  vine  was  before  me :  and  in  the  vine  were 
three  branches :  and  it  budded,  and  blossomed,  and 
brought  forth  ripe  grapes.  And  Pharaoh's  cup  was 
in  my  hand,  and  I  took  the  grapes,  and  pressed 
them  into  Pharaoh's  cup,  and  gave  the  cup  into 
Pharaoh's  hand.     And  Joseph  said  unto  him,  This 


JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT.  127 

is  the  interpretation  of  it.  The  three  branches  are 
three  days  :  within  three  days  shall  Pharaoh  restore 
thee  unto  thy  place,  and  thou  shalt  deliver  Pha- 
raoh's cup  into  his  hand,  after  the  former  manner 
when  thou  wast  his  butler.  But  think  on  me  when 
it  shall  be  well  with  thee,  and  show  kindness, 
I  pray  thee,  unto  me ;  and  make  mention  of  me 
uuto  Pharaoh,  and  bring  me  out  of  this  house:  for 
indeed  I  was  stolen  away  out  of  the  land  of  the 
Hebrews;  and  here  also  have  I  done  nothing  that 
they  should  put  me  into  the  dungeon." 

"  When  the  chief  baker  saw  that  the  interpreta- 
tion was  good,  he  said  unto  Joseph,  I  also  was  in 
my  dream,  and,  behold,  I  had  three  white  baskets 
on  my  head  :  and  in  the  uppermost  basket  there 
was  all  manner  of  baked  meats  for  Pharaoh  ;  and 
the  birds  did  eat  them  out  of  the  basket  upon  my 
head.  And  Joseph  said,  This  is  the  interpretation 
thereof,  The  three  baskets  are  three  days :  within 
three  days  shall  Pharaoh  hang  thee  on  a  tree  ;  and 
the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from  off  thee.  And  it 
c.ime  to  pass  the  third  day,  which  was  Pharaoh's 
birth-day,  that  he  made  a  feast  to  all  his  servants. 
And  he  restored  the  chief  butler  unto  his  butlership 


128  JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT. 

again ;  and  lie  gave  the  cup  into  Pharaoh's  hand : 
but  he  hanged  the  chief  baker :  as  Joseph  had  in- 
terpreted to  them.  Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler 
remember  Joseph,  but  forgat  him." 

Joseph  reminded  the  chief  butler  and  baker  that 
interpretations  belong  unto  God ;  and  so  it  is,  se- 
cret things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God.  But  it 
often  pleased  God,  before  the  Holy  Scriptures  were 
finished,  to  show  unto  his  servants  the  things  which 
would  shortly  come  to  pass.  It  is  not  so  now,  be- 
cause we  have  the  Holy  Bible  to  teach  us  to  trust 
in  God. 

It  came  to  pass  to  both  these  servants  of  the  king, 
as  Joseph  had  said.  Perhaps  the  chief  Butler  had 
been  put  in  prison  without  cause,  and  the  king  was 
about  to  find  it  out,  and  would  set  him  free.  You 
see  how  he  sits  with  his  hands  folded  in  thankful- 
ness. But  the  chief  baker  covers  his  head  in  misery, 
when  he  finds  that  he  must  die,  by  his  country's 
laws. — But  he  had  still  three  days  to  live,  and  Jo- 
seph could  tell  him  of  a  Saviour  whose  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin  ;  and  it  may  have  been  that 
the  poor  wretched  man  learned  from  the  faithful 
Joseph  to  know  and  love  his  Saviour,  and  to  look 


JOSEPH     IN     EGYPT.  129 

beyond  the  grave  to  that  blessed  world  where  par- 
doned sinners  dwell  with  God  for  ever,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Joseph  said  to  the  chief  butler,  "  Think  on  me 
when  it  shall  be  well  with  thee."  Yet  did  not  the 
chief  butler  remember  Joseph,  but  forgat  him  :  and 
Joseph  was  left  in  the  prison.  The  Lord  Jesus 
does  not  so  forget  those  who  put  their  trust  in  Him. 
He  is  gone  back  to  the  palace  of  the  King  of  kings : 
and  there  He  thinks  of  every  one  who  prays  to 
Ilini.  Once  a  poor  dying  thief  said  to  Jesus, 
"  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  Thy 
kingdom."  The  Lord  Jesus  was  dying  on  the  cross 
when  the  poor  thief  said,  "Lord,  remember  me," 
but  He  said,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  to-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise."  Joseph  was  for- 
saken and  forgotten  by  man,  but  his  God  did  not 
forsake  or  forget  him.  It  was  for  Joseph's  sake 
that  God  had  sent  those  dreams  to  the  prisoners 
whom  Joseph  guarded,  as  you  will  soon  see.  "  In 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  strong  confidence,  and  His 
children  shall  have  a  place  of  refuge."  The  blessed 
Abel  found  that  place  of  refuge  at  once  in  Heaven  ; 

9 


130  JOSEPH    IN     EGYPT. 

but  Jacob,  and  his  beloved  Joseph,  found  it  first  in 
God  upon  earth. 

I  am  poor  and  needy  •  yet  the  Lord  tliinketh  on 
me:  Thou  art  my  Help  and  my  Deliverer'  make 
no  long  tarrying,  0  my  God. — Psalm  xl.  17. 


JOSEPH  BEFORE  PHARAOH 


Sunday  Afternoons. 


XVII. 

I  o  s  c  j  Ij  a  n  &  U  lj  a  r a o  |  * 


CS' 


J'  HEN  the  chief  butler  went  back  to  the  pal- 
?  ace  of  the  king,  Joseph  thought  he  had  a 
^  L  friend  who  would  soon  find  a  way  to  set 
Y^  him  free.  But  Satan,  the  Evil  Spirit,  who 
qj  takes  away  good  thoughts  out  of  our  hearts, 
^  took  out  of  the  chief  butler's  heart  the  re- 
membrance of  Joseph.  The  chief  butler  knew  that 
Joseph  was  a  servant  of  the  Most  High  God,  the 
Revealer  of  secrets  :  he  knew  that  Joseph  had  done 
no  wrong :  Joseph  had  served  him  with  gentle 
kindness,  and  eased  his  mind  in  his  distress,  yet  he 
made  no  mention  of  him  ;  he  did  not  go  to  see  how 
he  was,  or  to  carry  him  the  least  comfort  in  his  sad 
condition  in  one  of  Egypt's  dungeons.  The  chief 
butler  was  free,  and  prosperous,  and  at  eas?,  and 
he  forgot  the  s  ffering  servant  of  the  Lord  who  had 


132  JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH. 

shown  him  so  much  kindness.  The  Bible  says, 
"  The  desire  of  a  man  is  his  kindness."  Be  sure 
when  you  know  of  any  one  in  distress,  and  es- 
pecially any  servant  of  the  Lord,  that  you  do  not 
forget  them.  If  you  think  about  their  sorrow  and 
trouble,  you  will  perhaps  find  that  a  way  will  be 
made  for  you  to  be  their  comforter.  Though  you 
are  only  a  child,  perhaps  you  may  go  and  see  them ; 
or  perhaps  you  may  send  to  them ;  or,  if  not,  you 
may  tell  some  one  about  them  who  will :  and  then, 
what  is  best  of  all,  you  can  pray  for  them — you  can 
ask  the  Lord  Jesus  to  comfort  and  help  them,  and 
He  can  reach  them  if  you  cannot.  The  Bible  says 
that  we  are  to  remember  them  that  are  in  bonds,  as 
if  we  were  bound  with  them ;  and  very  often  the 
chain  of  trouble  and  sorrow  is  heavier  to  bear  than 
the  chain  of  iron.  If  you  think  only  about  your 
own  concerns,  you  will  be  like  the  chief  butler,  who 
forgot  the  affliction  of  poor  Joseph.  Satan  rejoices 
when  we  forget  the  sorrows  we  might  have  helped 
to  relieve,  if  only  we  had  remembered  them.  And 
Satan  rejoiced  that  the  chief  butler  had  forgotten 
Joseph :  he  might  think  that  now,  after  all,  Joseph 
would  die  in  the  prison  !     Satan  might  think  that 


JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH.  133 

he  had  put  out  the  remembrance  of  him  from  the 
earth  ;  but  Satan  could  not  put  out  the  remem- 
brance of  Joseph's  name  in  Heaven  —  God  had 
graven  it  upon  the  palms  of  His  hand  ;  He  would 
come  and  save  him. 

But  months  passed  away,  till  years  were  gone. 
Joseph  had  now  no  hope  in  man  ;  he  could  not 
look  to  his  home :  he  could  not  look  to  his  angry 
master :  he  could  not  look  to  the  chief  butler ;  he 
found  he  was  forgotten,  like  a  dead  man  out  of 
mind :  he  could  only  look  one  way,  and  that  was 
up  to  Heaven.  Two  full  years  had  passed  away 
since  he  bad  told  the  chief  butler  his  dream,  and 
asked  him  to  think  of  him.  Joseph  was  in  his  dun- 
geon— We  do  not  know  what  he  was  doing  ;  we 
only  know  that  he  was  there.  Perhaps  that  very 
day  all  earthly  hope  in  his  heart  was  dead :  per- 
haps he  had  given  up  hope  ;  he  had  waited  and 
watched  so  long,  and  no  help  had  come.  Was  he 
thinking,  that  now  he  should  never  see  his  father 
and  his  young  brother's  face  again — never  walk 
again  in  the  green  fields,  beneath  the  blue  sky,  and 
listen  to  the  song  of  the  free  birds,  and  be  himself 
as  free  as  they  were  ?     Perhaps  he  was  praying  to 


134  JOSEPII     AND     PHARAOH. 

his  Father  in  Heaven,  committing  himself  unto  God 
who  judgeth  righteously,  and  who  is  the  Helper  of 
the  friendless.  0  Joseph !  though  the  blessing 
tarry,  wait  for  it,  because  it  will  surely  come  ;  it 
will  not  tarry  a  single  moment  beyond  the  appoint- 
ed time.  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,  and 
gladness  for  the  upright  in  heart.  Yours  has  been 
a  long  night  of  weeping,  but  it  is  all  over  now,  the 
morning  is  come,  and  it  brings  you  joy ! 

Yes,  it  is  the  morning,  and  Joseph  in  his  dun- 
geon hears  the  sound  of  hurrying  footsteps.  Why 
such  haste  in  the  dismal  prison  ?  they  do  not  use 
to  come  so  fast  when  they  bring  in  some  poor  un- 
willing captive  ;  or  when  they  lead  a  prisoner  out 
to  trial,  or  to  death  ?  They  stop  at  Joseph's  dun- 
geon door  —  they  open  it  —  they  call,  "Joseph, 
come  quick,  Pharaoh  the  king  has  sent  for  you  !" 
Joseph  had  walked  for  years  with  only  a  prisoner's 
slow  heavy  step,  but  now  he  must  run, — he  must 
run  out  of  that  dungeon  which  he  entered  with  so 
heavy  a  heart,  never  to  see  it  any  more :  he  must 
throw  away  his  prison-dress,  and  put  on  raiment 
fit  to  appear  before  the  king ;  and  he  must  go  in 
directly,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh. 


JOSEPH     AND     T  II  A  It  A  Oil.  135 

Why  tlocs  the  mighty  king  of  Egypt  want  Jacob's 
lost  child,  and  in  so  great  haste'?  Because  on  the 
last  night,  when  the  king  was  sleeping  on  his  bed, 
God  sent  a  dream  into  his  mind — a  dream  which 
troubled  him ;  and  the  king  sent  for  all  the  wise 
men  of  Egypt,  and  not  one  could  tell  him  the  inter- 
pi  etation.  And  when  the  chief  butler  saw  the 
king's  distress,  he  remembered  how  he  himself  had 
Buffered  in  the  prison  from  a  dream ;  and  then  he 
thought  of  Joseph.  God  reminds  the  forgetful  but- 
ler, and  he  confesses  his  fault :  he  tells  the  king  of 
the  young  Hebrew  in  the  prison,  who  had  told  the 
meaning  of  his  dream,  and  the  chief  baker's  dream, 
so  truly.  While  all  was  prosperous,  no  one  in 
Egypt  thought  of  Joseph ;  but  as  soon  as  God 
sends  a  dream  from  Heaven,  which  troubles  the 
heart  of  the  king,  then  all  the  wise  men,  and  the 
great  men,  and  the  captains,  and  the  armies,  and 
the  people  of  the  land,  are  nothing  :  the  dream 
will  not  answer  to  their  call :  they  can  not  find  its 
secret  meaning:  the  king  turns  away  from  them 
all.  Joseph,  the  lost  child,  the  poor  slave,  the 
poor  prisoner,  must  be  found :  he  is  the  only  child 
of  God,  and  no  one  else  in  all  the  laud  will  do,  for 


136  JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH. 

the  dream  is  from  God,  and  the  secret  of  the  Lord 
is  only  with  them  who  fear  Him — with  them  who 
hope  in  His  mercy.  Such  honor  have  all  God's 
saints :  they  are  always  called  for  in  the  time  of 
trouble  and  distress.  Many  a  hardened  sinner, 
when  trouble  has  come  upon  him,  has  turned  to 
seek  the  help  and  the  prayers  of  some  young  child 
of  God. 

Joseph  had  never  entered  the  palace  of  a  king  : 
he  had  been  a  child  in  his  father's  house,  then  a 
slave,  then  a  prisoner.  Will  he  be  afraid  to  go  and 
stand  before  the  mighty  king,  and  all  the  great  men 
of  the  court  ?  No,  the  king's  wise  men  are  ashamed, 
they  are  dismayed,  for  they  know  not  the  Lord,  and 
therefore  they  find  that  no  wisdom  is  in  them  ;  but 
Joseph  will  speak  of  God's  testimonies  also  before 
kings,  and  will  not  be  ashamed.  Joseph  is  the 
child  of  God  the  King  of  kings,  and  why  should 
he  then  fear  before  the  face  of  any  man!  He  is 
strong  in  the  faith,  and  fear,  and  love  of  his  Father 
in  Heaven ;  but  he  has  no  pride  of  heart,  it  is  not 
of  himself  but  of  his  God  he  thinks.  "  Pharaoh  said 
unto  Joseph,  I  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is 
none  that  can  interpret  it ;  and  I  have  heard  say  of 


JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH.  137 

thee  that  tliou  canst  understand  a  dream  to  inter- 
pret it.  And  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh,  saying,  It 
is  not  in  me  :  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  answer  of 
peace."  Was  Joseph  then  quite  sure  that  he  could 
i interpret  the  dream  of  the  king  before  he  had  heard 
what  the  dream  was?  Joseph  knew  that  it  was 
God  who  had  caused  him  to  be  brought  from  the 
dungeon  to  stand  before  Pharaoh ;  and  he  was  quite 
sure  that  what  God  had  called  him  to  do,  He  would 
also  enable  him  to  perform.  He  was  strong  in  faith, 
giving  glory  to  God.  He  was  the  child  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob  ;  and  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
dwelt  within  him. 

Then  the  king  told  Joseph  his  dream.  In  his 
dream  the  king  thought  that  he  stood  upon  the 
bank  of  a  river ;  and,  behold,  seven  fat  cows  fed  in 
a  meadow  ;  and  seven  other  poor  lean  cows  came, 
and  eat  up  the  seven  fat  cows,  and  when  they  had 
eaten  them  up  they  looked  as  lean  and  poor  as  be- 
fore. After  this  the  king  thought  that  he  saw  seven 
ears  of  corn  grow  up  on  one  stalk,  full  ears  and 
good ;  and  after  the  seven  good  ears  there  grew 
up  seven  small  thin  ears ;  and  the  thin  ears  of  corn 
eat  up  the  good  ears.     And  Joseph  said  unto  Pha- 


138  JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH. 

raoh,  God  hath  showed  Pharaoh  what  He  is  about 
to  do.  The  seven  cows  mean  seven  years  ;  and  the 
seven  ears  of  corn  mean  seven  years.  Behold  there 
come  seven  years  of  great  plenty,  through  all  the 
land  of  Egypt ;  and  after  them,  seven  years  of  fam- 
ine, and  the  plenty  shall  be  forgotten  in  the  land, 
by  reason  of  the  famine  following,  for  it  shall  be 
very  grievous.  And  for  that  the  dream  was 
doubled  unto  Pharaoh  twice,  it  is  because  the  thing- 
is  established  by  God,  and  God  will  shortly  bring 
it  to  pass.  Now,  therefore,  let  Pharaoh  look  out  a 
man  discreet  and  wise,  and  set  him  over  the  land 
of  Egypt.  And  let  him  appoint  officers  over  the 
land,  and  let  them  gather  the  food  of  those  good 
years  that  come,  and  lay  up  corn,  and  keep  food  in 
the  cities.  And  that  food  shall  be  for  store  to  the 
land  against  the  seven  years  of  famine ;  that  the 
land  perish  not  through  the  famine. 

"  And  the  thing  was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pha- 
raoh ;  and  in  the  eyes  of  all  his  servants.  And 
Pharaoh  said  unto  his  servants,  Can  we  find  such  a 
one  as  this  is,  a  man  in  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  is  ? 
And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  Forasmuch  as  God 
hath  showed  thee  all  this,  there  is  none  so  discreet 


JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH.  139 

and  wise  as  thou  art.  Thou  shalt  be  over  my  house, 
and  according-  unto  thy  word  shall  all  my  people  be 
ruled :  only  in  the  throne  will  I  be  greater  than 
thou.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  See,  I  have 
set  thee  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  Pharaoh 
took  off  his  ring  from  his  hand,  and  put  it  upon 
Joseph's  hand  ;  and  arrayed  him  in  vestures  of  fine 
linen  ;  and  put  a  gold  chain  about  his  neck.  And 
the  kins;  made  him  to  ride  in  the  second  chariot 
which  he  had  ;  and  they  cried  before  Joseph,  Bow 
the  knee ;  and  the  king  made  him  ruler  over  all 
the  land  of  Egypt." 

Joseph  had  risen  in  the  morning  from  his  dun- 
geon-bed, a  prisoner  with  no  earthly  helper,  no 
earthly  hope  :  and  before  that  night  he  gave  thanks 
to  God  in  a  palace  of  his  own,  ruler  over  all  the 
land.  He  had  no  friend  in  Egypt,  and  such  a 
change  would  have  seemed  impossible  ;  but  he  had 
a  Friend  in  Heaven,  and  what  would  be  impossible 
with  men  is  possible  with  God.  God  only  sent  a 
dream  from  Heaven,  which  no  one  but  His  child 
could  understand ;  and  by  means  of  that  dream 
Joseph  was  raised  from  the  dungeon  to  a  throne. 
"  Those  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  inherit  the 


140  JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH. 

earth."  Do  you  remember  when  Joseph  was 
brought  into  Egypt  a  helpless  slave?  Then  no  one 
cared  for  him  in  all  the  land ;  there  was  no  one  to 
speak  to  him,  no  one  to  look  at  him,  no  one  to 
think  of  him  :  it  was  his  cruel  brothers  who  made 
him  so  desolate :  but  Joseph's  Heavenly  Father 
changed  it  all.  In  the  morning,  Joseph  was  in  the 
dungeon,  and  before  the  sun  went  down  he  had  a 
royal  chariot  of  his  own ;  and  wherever  he  drove, 
all  whom  he  passed  must  bow  the  knee  before  him. 
Joseph's  name  went  through  all  the  land,  and 
wherever  he  came,  every  eye  was  turned  to  look 
upon  him,  to  look  upon  and  bless  him,  because  God 
had  made  him  to  be  the  people's  deliverer  from  the 
coming  famine.  "  The  Lord's  delight  is  in  them 
that  fear  Him,  and  put  their  trust  in  his  mercy." 

Joseph  had  been  the  favorite  with  his  father, 
with  his  master,  with  his  jailor,  and  now  he  was 
the  king's  favorite.  "  A  good  name  is  rather  to  be 
chosen  than  great  riches,  and  loving  favor  rather 
than  silver  and  gold:"  but  Joseph  also  found  that, 
by  humility  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  are  riches, 
honor,  and  life.  Light  had  sprung  up  for  the 
righteous,  and  joyful  gladness  for  the  true  of  heart. 


JOSEPH     AND     PHARAOH.  141 

The  spirit  of  many  a  little  child  who  loved  and 
obeyed  the  Lord,  has  been  called  from  a  bed  of 
suffering,  sometimes  from  a  bed  of  straw,  to  stand 
before  the  King  of  kings.  And  the  little  child  has 
felt  no  fear,  because  the  love  of  God  is  stronger 
than  death,  and  His  loving-kindness  better  than 
life.  And  the  little  child  has  made  haste  away,  to 
dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  to  walk 
with  Christ  in  white,  to  see  the  face  of  its  Father 
in  Heaven,  and  to  receive  the  crown  of  everlasting 
life. 

He  that  lovetli  pureness  of  heart,  for  the  grace  of 
his  lips,  the  king  shall  be  his  friend. — Proverbs 
xxii.  11. 


XVIII. 

Io|f||  itni   \}\b  |lrftljrciu 

OW  Joseph  had  power  to  send  to  the  land 
Jp  of  Canaan,  where  Israel  his  beloved  father 
/^>Rx  dwelt,  to  find  out  whether  his  father  was 
still  alive,  and  to  let  him  know  where  his 
lost  Joseph  was.  But  Joseph  did  not  do 
this.  It  was  not  the  will  of  God ;  and  we 
never  hear  that  Joseph  was  disobedient  to  the  will 
of  either  his  earthly  or  his  Heavenly  Father.  Jo- 
seph must  have  longed  if  only  he  might  know 
whether  his  aged  father  were  alive  :  but  he  did  not 
send;  he  waited  God's  time  and  way  :  and  blessed 
are  all  they  that  wait  for  Him  !  When  Jacob  was 
a  young  man,  he  did  not  wait  God's  time  for  the 
Blessing,  and  the  sinful  haste  he  made  brought  him 
trouble  and  sorrow  all  his  life.  Jacob's  troubles 
were  like  his  sin,  and  they  must  all  have  reminded 


JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN". 


"iuoday  Afternoons. 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN.  143 

him  of  it.  But  Joseph  always  waited  patiently  for 
the  Lord,  therefore  his  griefs  did  not  grow  out  of 
his  own  sin ;  they  were  like  his  Saviour's  holy  sor- 
rows ;  and  when  we  read  of  Joseph,  we  always 
think  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  Bible  says,  "He  that 
believeth  will  not  make  haste."  Joseph  believed  ; 
and  therefore  he  always  waited  patiently  for  the 
Lord. 

What  did  Joseph  do,  now  that  he  was  made  so 
rich  a  man  ?  Did  he  live  in  pleasure,  after  so  many 
years  of  toil  and  suffering  ?  No  ;  Joseph  was  never 
idle  :  he  looked  for  his  rest  in  Heaven.  He  was  his 
father's  beloved  child,  and  yet  he  fed  his  father's 
flocks.  When  he  was  a  servant,  he  had  everything 
under  his  hand.  When  he  was  a  prisoner,  he  had 
the  charge  of  all  the  prisoners,  and  whatever  was 
done  in  the  prison  he  was  the  doer  of  it.  And  now 
that  he  was  the  lord  of  all  Egypt,  he  went  through- 
out all  the  land,  and  gathered  up  all  the  food 
through  the  seven  years  of  plenty,  and  laid  up  in 
every  city  the  food  of  the  fields  that  lay  around  it. 
Joseph  was  always  diligent  in  business,  fervent  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  The  seven  years  of  plenty 
passed  away  one   after  another ;  and  before  they 


144         JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN. 

were  gone,  God  gave  Joseph  two  sons  ;  the  name 
of  one  was  Manasseh,  and  the  name  of  the  other 
Ephraim ;  and  the  blessing  of  God  came  down  upon 
them  both,  and  they  both  lived  to  be  their  father's 
blessing ;  nor  were  they  ever  taken  from  him,  till 
he  left  them  to  enter  into  the  rest  that  remaineth 
for  the  people  of  God  in  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 

The  seven  years  of  plenty  passed  away,  and  the 
seven  years  of  famine  began.  When  no  corn  grew 
in  the  fields,  the  hungry  people  came  to  the  king, 
and  cried  to  him  for  bread.  "  And  Pharaoh  said 
unto  all  the  Egyptians,  Go  unto  Joseph,  what  he 
saith  to  you  do.  And  Joseph  opened  all  the  store- 
houses, and  sold  corn  unto  all  the  people  of  the 
land :  and  all  countries  came  into  Egypt  to  Joseph 
to  buy  corn,  for  the  famine  was  over  all  the  face  of 
the  earth."  Do  you  know  why  this  dreadful  famine 
was  sent  into  all  lands  ?  No  doubt  one  reason  was 
to  punish  unthankful  men.  God  had  sent  them 
fruitful  seasons,  filling  their  hearts  with  food  and 
gladness,  and  yet  they  had  not  given  him  praise  : 
they  would  not  learn  by  God's  mercy,  and  therefore 
they  must  feel  His  displeasure.  But  this  famine 
over  all  the  earth  was  also  sent  by  God  to  cause  Jo- 


JOSEPH  AND  niS  BRETHREN.     145 

seph's  father  to  send  his  brethren  down  into  Egypt. 
There  was  no  corn  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  no 
corn  in  any  other  land,  and  therefore  they  must  go 
down  into  Egypt  for  it.  God  gave  his  own  beloved 
Son  for  the  sake  of  sinful  men,  and  therefore  we 
cannot  wonder  when  all  the  earth  had  to  bear  a 
part  in  bringing  God's  purposes  to  pass  for  his  ser- 
vant Israel :  for  the  Lord  had  chosen  Jacob  to  Him- 
self, and  Israel  for  His  peculiar  treasure. 

"  And  Jacob  said  unto  his  sons,  Why  do  ye  look 
one  upon  another  ?  Behold,  I  have  heard  that 
there  is  corn  in  Egypt :  get  you  down  thither,  and 
buy  for  us,  that  we  may  live,  and  not  die.  And 
Joseph's  ten  brethren  went  down  to  buy  corn  in 
Egypt."  But  Jacob  would  not  send  Benjamin  with 
his  brothers,  for  his  father  said,  Lest  mischief  befal 
him.  Did  Joseph's  brothers  think  as  they  went,  of 
the  young  slave  they  had  sold  into  Egypt  ?  did  they 
think  that  perhaps  they  should  see  him  toiling  there 
for  some  hard  master  ?  and  were  they  afraid  at  the 
thought  ?  They  little  thought  that  Joseph  was  the 
Governor  over  the  land,  and  that  he  it  was  that  sold 
to  all  the  people.  "And  Joseph's  brethren  came, 
and  bowed  down  themselves  before  him  with  their 

10 


146    JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 

faces  to  the  earth."  Then  was  fulfilled  the  first  of 
those  two  dreams,  which  God  had  sent  to  Joseph 
while  he  was  in  his  father's  house :  the  meaning 
of  that  dream  was,  that  his  brothers  would  bow 
down  to  him, — 'and  now  it  was  fulfilled.  Did  Jo- 
seph's brothers  know  him  when  they  saw  him  ? 
No,  they  did  not  know  him  ;  he  had  grown  up  into 
a  man,  since  they  saw  him  last ;  and  he  sat  before 
them  as  the  Ruler  of  the  land,  with  servants  who 
waited  round  him  ;  and  they  would  hardly  venture 
to  look  up  ;  they  could  not  have  brave  hearts  and 
full  of  holy  courage,  as  Joseph  had  when  he  stood 
before  the  king ;  for  it  is  only  the  eye  of  truth  that 
can  look  up  without  fear.  They  did  not  know  their 
brother  Joseph. 

But  Joseph  knew  them.  The  last  time  he  saw 
them  was  when,  with  cruel  looks,  they  cast  him  into 
the  pit  to  die,  when  they  would  not  listen  to  his 
cry,  and  only  drew  him  from  the  pit  to  sell  him  for 
a  slave,  that  they  might  be  richer  for  his  misery  ; — 
not  caring  whether  he  lived  or  died,  so  that  he  were 
carried  away  from  them  and  their  father.  How 
often  must  Joseph  have  seen  in  his  thoughts  the 
cruel  faces  of  his  brethren  !   and  now  he  saw  those 


JOSEPH     AND     II  I  S     BRETHB  E  N .  147 

brothers  again.  And  now  the  power  was  his.  God 
had  sent  a  famine,  and  the  famine  had  forced  them 
to  come  into  Egypt,  where  they  had  forced  Joseph 
to  go  :  they  were  alone  now,  and  friendless  in  the 
land,  and  Joseph  had  the  power  to  do  with  them  as 
he  pleased.  What  did  Joseph  feel?  he  felt  no 
hatred,  no  anger,  no  revenge  ;  but  only  forgiveness 
and  tenderness.  Did  he  then  tell  them  who  he 
was,  and  say  that  he  forgave  them  ?  No  ;  Joseph 
desired  the  real  good  of  his  brothers,  and  he  knew 
there  could  be  no  real  good  for  them  till  they  were 
brought  to  a  sense  of  their  great  sin,  in  first  think- 
ing to  murder  him  their  innocent  brother,  then  in 
selling  him  for  a  slave,  and  in  deceiving  their  aged 
father.  Joseph  wanted  first  to  bring  them  to  a 
sense  of  their  sin.  They  did  not  know  him  ;  and  he 
spoke  to  them  in  the  language  of  Egypt,  which  they 
could  not  understand,  and  a  man  stood  at  his  side 
to  tell  them  in  their  own  language  what  Joseph 
meant.  Joseph  understood  what  they  said,  but  he 
made  this  mau,  who  was  called  an  interpreter,  tell 
him  in  the  language  of  Egypt  the  words  they  said 
to  him  ;  so  that  they  thought  Joseph  did  not  under- 
stand their  language.     And  Joseph  spoke  roughly 


148         JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN. 

to  thein.  He  did  not  mean  to  speak  one  rough 
word  to  them  when  he  should  have  told  them  that 
he  was  Joseph  ;  but  now  they  thought  him  a 
stranger,  and  it  was  as  a  stranger  he  spoke  roughly 
to  them.  He  called  them  spies,  and  said  they  were 
come  to  see  the  barrenness  of  the  land.  "  And 
they  said  unto  him,  Nay,  my  lord,  but  to  buy  food 
are  thy  servants  come  :  thy  servants  are  twelve 
brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan ; 
and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our 
father,  and  one  is  not!"  When  they  said,  one  is 
not,  they  meant  Joseph,  whom  they  sold  for  a  slave, 
and  whom  they  thought  they  had  got  rid  of  for 
ever.  And  Joseph  put  them  all  in  prison  for  three 
days.  Joseph  had  felt  the  prisoner's  heavy  chain 
for  three  years,  and  his  brothers  were  the  cruel 
cause  ;  but  he  let  them  feel  it  only  three  days,  and 
that  not  to  punish  them,  but  to  bring  them  to  re- 
pentance ;  and  we  are  sure  that  he  prayed  to  God 
all  the  while,  to  change  their  hard  and  evil  hearts. 

"  And  on  the  third  day,  Joseph  said  to  them, 
This  do,  and  live  ;  for  I  fear  God.  If  ye  be  true 
men,  let  one  of  your  brethren  be  bound  in  the  house 
of  your  prison ;    and   go  ye,    carry    corn  for   the 


JOSE  Til     AND     niS     BRETHREN.  140 

famine  of  your  houses  :  but  bring  your  youngest 
brother  unto  me  ;  so  shall  your  words  be  verified, 
and  ye  shall  not  die.  Then  Joseph's  brothers  said 
one  to  another,  We  are  verily  guilty  concerning  our 
brother,  in  that  we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  when 
he  besought  us,  and  we  would  not  hear ;  therefore 
is  this  distress  come  upon  us.  And  Reuben  an- 
swered them,  saying,  Spake  I  not  unto  you,  saying, 
Do  not  sin  against  the  child ;  and  ye  would  not 
hear  ?  therefore,  behold,  his  blood  is  required. 
And  they  knew  not  that  Joseph  understood  them ; 
for  he  spake  unto  them  by  an  interpreter.  And 
when  Joseph  heard  their  words,  he  turned  himself 
about  from  them,  and  wept."  This  is  the  first  time 
that  the  Bible  tells  us  that  Joseph  wept.  It  tells  us 
of  him  in  the  pit,  it  tells  us  of  him  a  slave,  it  tells 
us  of  him  in  the  prison,  but  it  says  nothing  of  his 
tears ;  but  now  the  first  words  he  hears  his  brothers 
speak  that  show  a  sense  in  them  of  their  great  sin, 
Joseph  weeps.  0,  in  how  many  things  was  Joseph 
like  his  Saviour  !  Once  when  the  Lord  Jesus  wish- 
ed to  reprove  two  of  his  disciples,  he  took  a  stran- 
gers  form,  that  they  might  not  have  the  grief  of 
hearing  words  of  reproof  from    their   own  Lord. 


150    JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 

And  the  blessed  Jesus  wept,  not  for  his  own  sor- 
rows, but  over  sinners. 

And  Joseph  returned  to  his  brothers  again,  and 
took  from  them  his  brother  Simeon,  and  bound  him 
before  their  eyes.  Then  Joseph  commanded  his 
steward,  that  was  over  his  house,  to  fill  his  brothers' 
sacks  with  corn ;  and  to  put  the  money  that  each 
one  had  brought,  into  his  sack's  mouth  ;  and  to 
give  them  provision  for  the  way.  And  they  laded 
their  asses  with  the  corn,  and  departed.  Thus  did 
Joseph  unto  them.  He  gave  them  corn  without 
money,  and  without  price ;  and  he  gave  them  all 
they  needed  for  the  way  :  but  he  kept  Simeon. 
If  then  they  did  not  return,  he  would  know  that 
they  had  still  the  same  hard  hearts — if  they  did  not 
return  for  their  brother.  But  did  not  Joseph  long 
most  of  all  to  see  his  father  ?  Why  then  did  he 
tell  them  to  go  and  bring  his  youngest  brother  ? 
Joseph  did  long  to  see  his  father.  But  he  had 
waited  God's  time  long  and  patiently,  without  even 
knowing  whether  his  beloved  father  were  alive  ; 
and  he  will  still  wait  God's  time,  even  though  now 
it  is  in  his  power  to  send  for  his  father,  and  if  he 
waits,  his  father  may  die.     Yet  Joseph  will  wait 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN.  151 

still.  He  will  first  do  all  he  can  to  change,  by 
God's  "race  and  blessing,  his  brothers'  hearts,  lie 
sends  them  to  fetch  Benjamin.  He  means  to  try 
th'jm,  and  see  whether  they  have  the  same  cruel 
hatred  of  his  young  brother  as  they  had  of  him. 
Joseph  had  been  used  to  patient  waiting  ;  and  what 
he  thinks  most  about  is  doing  the  will  of  his  Father 
in  Heaven. 

"And  they  came  unto  Jacob  their  father  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  told  him  all  that  befel  unto 
them,  saying,  The  man,  who  is  the  lord  of  the  land, 
spake  roughly  to  us,  and  took  us  for  spies  of  the 
country.  And  we  said  unto  him,  We  are  true  men, 
we  are  no  spies ;  Ave  be  twelve  brethren,  sons  of 
our  father  :  one  is  not,  and  the  youngest  is  this  day 
with  our  father  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  And  the 
man,  the  lord  of  the  country,  said  unto  us,  Hereby 
shall  I  know  that  ye  are  true  men :  leave  one  of 
your  brethren  here  with  me,  and  take  food  for  the 
famine  of  your  households  and  be  gone  ;  and  bring 
your  youngest  brother  unto  me  ;  then  shall  I  know 
that  ye  are  no  spies,  but  that  ye  are  true  men.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  as  they  emptied  their  sacks,  that, 
behold,  every  man's  bundle  of  money  was  in  his 


152    JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 

sack :  and  when  they  and  their  father  saw  the  bun- 
dles of  money,  they  were  afraid.  And  Jacob  their 
father  said  unto  them,  Me  have  ye  bereaved  of  my 
children  :  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not,  and  ye 
will  take  Benjamin  away :  all  these  things  are 
against  me.  My  son  shall  not  go  down  with  you ; 
for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone  :  if  mis- 
chief befal  him  in  the  way  by  which  ye  go,  then 
shall  ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to 
the  grave." 

"'And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the  land.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  they  had  eaten  up  the  corn 
which  they  had  brought  out  of  Egypt,  their  father 
said  unto  them,  Go  again,  buy  us  a  little  food. 
And  Judah,  one  of  Israel's  sons,  spake  unto  his 
father,  saying,  The  man  did  solemnly  protest  unto 
us,  saying,  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face  except  your 
brother  be  with  you.  If  thou  wilt  send  our  brother 
with  us,  we  will  go  down  and  buy  thee  food  :  but 
if  thou  wilt  not  send  him,  we  will  not  go  down  : 
for  the  man  said  unto  us,  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face, 
except  your  brother  be  with  you.  And  Israel  said, 
Wherefore  dealt  ye  so  ill  with  me,  as  to  tell  the 
man  whether  ye  had  a  brother  ?     And  they  said, 


JOSEPn  AND  HIS  BRETHREN.    153 

The  man  asked  us  straitly  of  our  state,  and  of  ova 
kindred,  saying,  Is  your  father  yet  alive  ?  Have 
ye  another  brother?  and  we  told  him  :  could  we 
certainly  know  that  he  would  say,  Bring  your 
brother  down  ?  And  Judah  said  unto  Israel  his 
father,  Send  the  lad  with  me,  and  we  will  arise  and 
go,  that  we  may  live,  and  not  die,  both  we,  and 
thou,  and  also  our  little  ones.  I  will  be  surety  for 
him  ;  of  my  hand  shalt  thou  require  him  :  if  I  bring 
him  not  unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then 
let  me  bear  the  blame  for  ever  :  for  except  we  had 
lingered,  surely  now  we  had  returned  this  second 
time.  And  their  father  Israel  said  unto  them,  If  it 
must  be  so  now,  do  this  ;  take  of  the  best  fruits  of 
the  land  in  your  vessels,  and  carry  down  the  man  a 
present,  a  little  balm,  and  a  little  honey,  spices,  and 
myrrh,  nuts,  and  almonds  :  and  take  double  money 
in  your  hand  :  and  the  money  that  was  brought 
again  in  the  mouth  of  your  sacks,  carry  it  again  in 
your  hand,  peradventure  it  was  an  oversight.  Take 
also  your  brother,  and  arise,  go  again  unto  the  man. 
And  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the 
man,  that  he  may  send  away  your  other  brother 
and  Benjamin.     And  they  took  that  present,  and 


154  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN. 

they  took  double  money  in  their  hauds,  and  Ben- 
jamin ;   and  rose  up,  and  went  down  to  Egypt." 

Jacob  seems  to  suspect  that  all  had  not  been 
right  with  his  sons  respecting  his  beloved  Joseph. 
He  tells  them  that  they  had  taken  his  children  from 
him.  fie  is  afraid  to  trust  them  with  Benjamin  : 
but  the  Bible  teaches  us  to  say,  "  What  time  I  am 
afraid,  I  will  trust  in  God."  They  must  all  die  for 
the  want  of  food,  if  Benjamin  does  not  go  :  so  his 
father  offers  up  a  prayer  to  God  for  him,  and  sends 
him  with  them.  Was  Benjamin  afraid  to  go  with 
his  brothers  ?  Perhaps  he  was  afraid :  but,  like 
Joseph,  he  was  obedient  to  his  father's  will,  and 
his  father's  prayer  strengthened  his  heart. 

"  And  they  came  into  Egypt,  and  stood  before 
Joseph.  And  when  Joseph  saw  Benjamin  with 
them,  he  said  to  the  ruler  of  his  house,  Bring  these 
men  home,  and  make  ready,  for  these  men  shall 
dine  with  me  at  noon.  And  they  came  near  to  the 
steward  of  Joseph's  house,  and  they  spoke  with  him 
at  the  door  of  the  house,  and  said,  0  sir,  we  came 
indeed  down  at  the  first  to  buy  food  ;  and  it  came 
to  pass,  when  we  opened  our  sacks,  behold,  every 
man's  money  was  in  the  mouth  of  his  sack  :  and  we 


JOSEPH     AN  D     II  I  B     B  R  E  T II  R  E  N  .  155 

have  brought  it  again  in  our  hand.  And  other 
money  have  we  brought  in  our  hand  to  buy  food ; 
we  can  not  tell  who  put  our  money  in  our  sacks. 
And  the  steward  of  Joseph's  house  said,  Peace  be 
to  you  !  fear  not.  Your  God,  and  the  God  of  your 
father,  hath  given  you  treasure  in  your  sacks :  I 
had  your  money.  And  he  brought  Simeon  out  to 
them.  And  the  men  were  afraid  because  they 
were  brought  into  Joseph's  house.  But  the  stew- 
ard of  Joseph's  house  gave  them  water,  and  they 
washed  their  feet,  and  he  gave  their  asses  proven- 
der. And  they  made  ready  the  present  against 
Joseph  came  at  noon.  And  when  Joseph  came 
home,  they  brought  him  the  present  which  was  in 
their  hand  into  the  house,  and  bowed  themselves 
to  him  to  the  earth.  And  he  asked  them  of  their 
welfare,  and  said,  Is  your  father  well ;  the  old  man 
of  whom  ye  spake  ?  Is  he  yet  alive  ?  And  they 
answered,  Thy  servant  our  father  is  in  good  health, 
he  is  yet  alive.  And  they  bowed  down  their  heads, 
and  made  obeisance."  Then  was  fulfilled  the  sec- 
ond dream  which  God  sent  to  Joseph,  for  his  broth- 
ers now  spoke  of  their  father  as  Joseph's  servant, 
and  bowed  down  in  their  father's  stead  before  him. 


156      JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 

"And  Joseph  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  his  brother 
Benjamin,  and  said,  Is  this  your  younger  brother 
of  whom  ye  spake  to  me  ?  And  he  said,  God  be 
gracious  unto  thee,  my  son.  And  Joseph  made 
haste,  and  sought  where  to  weep,  and  he  entered 
into  his  chamber,  and  wept  there.  And  he  washed 
his  face,  and  went  out,  and  refrained  himself,  and 
said,  Set  on  bread."  And  they  sat  down  to  dine. 
And  Joseph  sent  food  to  them  from  before  him,  but 
to  Benjamin  he  sent  five  times  as  much  as  to  any 
of  them.  And  Joseph  made  them  to  sit  at  table 
according  to  their  ages :  and  they  wondered  how 
the  lord  of  the  strange  country  could  tell  their 
ages,  one  from  another. 

And  Joseph  commanded  the  steward  of  his  house, 
saying,  Fill  the  men's  sacks  with  food,  as  much  as 
they  can  carry,  and  put  every  man's  money  in  his 
sack's  mouth.  And  put  my  cup,  the  silver  cup,  in 
the  sack  of  the  youngest.  And  as  soon  as  the 
morning  was  light  the  men  were  sent  away,  they 
and  their  asses.  And  when  they  were  gone  out  of 
the  city,  and  not  yet  far  off,  Joseph  said  unto  his 
steward,  Up,  follow  after  the  men,  and  when  thou 
dost  overtake  them,  say  unto  them,  Wherefore  have 


JOSETII    AND     HIS     BRETHREN.  157 

ye  rewarded  evil  for  good  ?  And  he  overtook 
them,  and  spake  unto  them  these  same  words,"  and 
accused  them  of  taking  his  master's  cup.  "  And 
they  said,  God  forbid  that  thy  servants  should  do 
according  to  this  thing.  Then  they  speedily  took 
down  every  man  his  sack,  and  the  cup  was  found 
in  Benjamin's  sack.  Then  they  rent  their  clothes, 
and  returned  every  man  to  the  city."  And  Judah, 
who  had  promised  his  father  to  take  Benjamin 
home  again,  and  his  brethren,  came  to  Joseph's 
house,  and  fell  before  h'im  on  the  ground.  "  And 
Joseph  said  to  them,  What  deed  is  this  ye  have 
done  ?  And  Judah  said,  What  shall  we  say  unto 
my  lord  ?  what  shall  we  speak  ?  or  how  shall  we 
clear  ourselves  ?  God  hath  found  out  the  iniquity 
of  thy  servants  :  behold,  we  are  my  lord's  servants, 
both  we  and  he  also  with  whom  the  cup  is  found. 
And  Joseph  said,  God  forbid  that  I  should  do  so : 
but  he  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is  found  shall  be  my 
servant :  and  as  for  you,  get  you  up  in  peace  unto 
your  father."  Joseph  had  done  this  to  try  his 
brothers.  Benjamin  seemed  to  be  guilty;  would 
they  now  go  back  to  their  father  without  him  ? 
had  they  no  more  feeling  for  their  aged  father's 


158  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN. 

grief  than  before  ?     Joseph  would  now  see  wV  ether 
their  hard  hearts  were  changed. 

"  Then  Judah  came  near  unto  Joseph,  and  said, 
Oh,  my  lord,  let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  speak  a 
word  in  my  lord's  ears,  and  let  not  thine  anger 
burn  against  thy  servant :  for  thou  art  even  as  Pha- 
raoh. My  lord  asked  his  servants,  saying,  Have  ye 
a  father  or  a  brother?  And  we  said  unto  my  lord, 
We  have  a  father,  an  old  man,  and  a  child  of  his 
old  age,  a  little  one ;  and  his  brother  is  dead,  and 
he  alone  is  left,  and  his  father  loveth  him.  And 
thou  saidst  unto  thy  servants,  Bring  him  down  unto 
me.  And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  The  lad  cannot 
leave  his  father ;  for  if  he  should  leave  his  father, 
his  father  would  die.  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  Except  your  youngest  brother  be  with 
you,  ye  shall  see  my  face  no  more.  And  it  came  to 
pass  when  Ave  came  up  unto  thy  servant,  my  father, 
we  told  him  the  words  of  my  lord.  And  our  father 
said,  Go  again,  and  buy  us  a  little  food.  And  we 
said,  We  cannot  go  down ;  but  if  our  youngest 
brother  be  with  us,  then  will  we  go  down  ;  for  we 
may  not  see  the  man's  face  except  our  youngest 
brother  be  with  us.     And  thy  servant  my  father 


J  0  S  E  r  II     AND     HIS     BRETHREN.  159 

said  unto  us,  One  went  out  from  mo,  and  I  said, 
Surely  he  is  torn  in  pieces,  and  I  saw  him  not  since ; 
and  if  ye  take  this  also  from  me,  and  mischief  befal 
him,  ye  shall  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow 
to  the  grave.  Now,  therefore,  when  I  come  to  thy 
servant  my  father,  and  the  lad  be  net  with  us ;  see- 
ing that  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life ;  it 
shall  come  to  prsss,  when  he  seeth  that  the  lad  is  not 
with  us,  that  he  will  die,  and  thy  servants  shall 
bring  down  the  gray  hairs  of  thy  servant  our  father 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  For  thy  servant  became 
surety  for  the  lad  unto  my  father,  saying,  If  I  bring 
him  not  unto  thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame  to 
my  father  for  ever.  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
let  thy  servant  abide  instead  of  the  lad,  a  bondman 
to  my  lord ;  and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his  breth- 
ren. For  how  shall  I  go  up  to  my  father,  and  the 
lad  be  not  with  me  ?  lest,  peradventure,  I  see  the 
evil  that  shall  come  on  my  father/' 

Then  Joseph  saw  that  God  had  changed  his 
brothers'  hearts.  He  would  no  longer  now  be 
strange  or  rouoh  with  them.  His  heart  was  full 
with  tenderness  and  pity,  and  he  could  not  refrain 
himself,  and  he  cried,  "  (Jausc  every  man  to  go  out 


160         JOSEPH     AND     HIS     BRETHREN. 

from  rue  ;  and  there  stood  no  man  with  him  while 
Joseph  made  himself  known  unto  his  brethren.  And 
Joseph  wept  aloud ;  and  the  Egyptians  and  the 
house  of  Pharaoh  heard.  And  Joseph  said  unto 
his  brethren,  I  am  Joseph.  Doth  my  father  yet 
live  ?"  They  had  told  him  that  their  father  was 
still  alive  before,  when  they  knew  him  not,  but 
he  wanted  to  hear  it  again :  they  told  him  as  a 
stranger  then  ;  he  wanted  to  hear  it  as  Joseph 
now.  "  But  his  brethren  could  not  answer  him  ; 
for  they  were  troubled  at  his  presence.  And  Jo- 
seph said  to  his  brethren,  Come  near  to  me,  I  pray 
you.  And  they  came  near.  And  he  said,  I  am 
Joseph  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt. 
Now,  therefore,  be  not  grieved,  nor  angry  with  your- 
selves that  ye  sold  me  hither ;  for  God  did  send  me 
before  you  to  preserve  life.  Haste  ye,  and  go  up 
to  my  father,  and  say  unto  him,  Thus  saith  thy  son 
Joseph,  God  hath  made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt ;  come 
down  unto  me,  tarry  not.  And  thou  shalt  dwell 
near  unto  me,  and  all  that  thou  hast,  and  I  will 
nourish  thee.  And,  behold,  your  eyes  see,  and  the 
eyes  of  my  brother  Benjamin,  that  it  is  my  mouth 
that  speaketh  unto  you.     And  Joseph  fell  upon  his 


joskpii    a  x  D    ii  i  s    B  i;  E  t  n  it  e  n  .       1  (51 

brother  Benjamin's  neck  and  wept ;  and  Benjamin 

wept  upon  his  neck.  Moreover,  he  kissed  all  his 
brethren,  and  wept  upon  them ;  and  after  that  his 
brethren  talked  with  him." 

This  was  forgiveness.  Joseph  had  found,  not 
Benjamin  alone,  for  the  hearts  of  all  his  brothers 
now  were  turned  to  him — whom  before  they  had 
hated  and  sold — he  had  eleven  brothers  now  with 
hearts  warm  with  love  for  him. 

Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me, 
and  I  forgive  him?  till  seven  times?  Jesus  saith 
unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  until  seven  times  y  but, 
until  seventy  times  seven. — Matthew,  xviii.  21,  22. 

n 


XIX. 

If 08 eg I|  an  ft   Ijia   jjfatjftr* 

ND  it  was  heard  in  Pharaoh's  house,  saying, 
Joseph's  brethren  are  come  :  and  it  pleased 
Pharaoh  well ;  and  it  pleased  Pharoah's  ser- 
vants. Joseph  had  borne  the  yoke  of  afflic- 
tion in  his  youth ;  he  had  humbled  himself 
under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  and  now 
God's  hand  exalted  him :  he  had  been  hated  and 
forsaken,  and  no  man  cared  for  his  soul ;  but  now 
we  see  him  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  sought  out, 
and  not  forsaken.  The  nation  and  kingdom  that 
would  not  come  to  Joseph,  must  now  be  utterly 
wasted ;  and  those  that  had  afflicted  him,  came 
bending  unto  him  ;  and  all  that  had  despised  him, 
bowed  themselves  down  at  the  soles  of  his  feet. 
God  had  brought  him  into  favor  with  all  men.  The 
king  had  raised  him   above   all  his  servants — yet 


JOSEPH     A  ND     II  I  S     F  ATIIER.  1G3 

they  love  him  ;  the)7  did  not  envy  the  stranger, 
taken  from  the  dungeon,  and  set  over  them :  it 
pleased  them  well  when  they  heard  that  his  breth- 
ren were  come.  When  God  giveth  quietness,  who 
then  can  make  trouble?  Those  who  hated  him  be- 
fore, had  felt  their  own  sin,  and  his  forgiveness,  and 
they  would  love  him  now.  He  had  seen  Benjamin, 
and  he  would  soon  see  the  face  of  his  beloved 
father  Israel,  and  dwell  with  all  he  loved  on  earth, 
till  God  should  take  them,  one  by  one,  to  Heaven. 
Joseph  had  sought  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and 
his  Righteousness,  and  now  all  these  things  were 
added  unto  him.  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  hath 
pleasure  in  the  prosperity  of  his  servant ! 

"  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  Say  unto  your 
brethren,  This  do  ye  :  lade  your  beasts,  and  go, 
get  you  into  the  land  of  Canaan ;  and  take  your 
father,  and  your  households,  and  come  unto  me; 
and  I  will  give  you  the  good  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
Now  thou  art  commanded,  this  do  ye :  take  you 
waggons  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  for  your  little 
onei,  and  for  your  wives,  and  bring  your  father,  and 
come.  And  the  children  of  Israel  did  so ;  and  Jo- 
seph gave  them  waggons,  according  to  the  command- 


164      JOSEPH  AND  HIS  FATHER. 

merit  of  Pharaon,  and  he  gave  them  provision  for 
the  way.  And  he  gave  to  each  of  them  changes 
of  raiment ;  but  to  Benjamin  he  gave  three  hun- 
dred pieces  of  silver  and  five  changes  of  raiment." 
Joseph's  brothers  had  taken  from  him  his  coat — his 
coat  of  many  colors  that  his  father  gave  him — and 
sent  him  to  Egypt  without  a  coat  to  cover  him :  but 
Joseph  gives  them  changes  of  raiment :  they  took 
from  him  that  which  he  sorely  needed,  and  for  want 
of  which,  both  his  limbs  and  his  heart  would  ache  ; 
and  he  in  return  gives  them  more  than  they  needed ; 
for  all  that  they  needed  they  would  have  brought 
with  them.  It  was  thus  that  Joseph  overcame  evil 
with  good. 

Joseph  will  soon  have  his  beloved  father  with 
him,  and  then  he  can  provide  every  comfort  for 
him.  But  Joseph  cannot  wait  for  this :  from  the 
first  moment  that  his  father  hears  the  joyful  tidings 
■ — "  Joseph  is  yet  alive,"  his  father  must  see  and 
feel  in  every  thing  the  love  of  his  lost  son  ;  from 
that  first  moment  Joseph  must  feed  him  ;  Joseph 
must  bear  and  carry  him  ;  Joseph  must  enable  him 
to  give  to  all  whom  he  desires  to  provide  for,  from 
the  abundance  he  has  sent  him.     To  his  father  Jo- 


J  OBB  P  II     A  X  I)     II  I  S     P  A  T  II  E  R  .  1G5 

scpli  sent,  not  only  the  waggons  to  cany  him,  but 
ten  asses  laden  with  the  good  things  of  Egypt,  and 
ten  more  asses  laden  with  corn,  and  bread  and 
meat,  for  his  father  by  the  way.  This  was  how  Jo- 
seph loved  his  father.  Do  yon  love  your  father  as 
Joseph  did  ?  Do  you  show  that  you  do  by  your 
obedience  to  him  now,  as  Joseph  did  when  he  was 
a  child  ?  If  you  do,  then,  when  you  are  grown  up, 
you  will  find  good  things  also  to  send  to  your 
father ;  they  may  be  only  little  things  compared  to 
Joseph's  gifts,  but  they  will  be  great  things  to  your 
father,  if  they  are  the  gifts  of  his  child's  affection. 
Joseph's  mother  was  in  Heaven  ;  if  she  had  been  on 
earth,  what  would  he  not  have  sent  for  her  ! 

Joseph's  brothers  went  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  came  into  the  land  of  Canaan  unto  Ja- 
cob their  father,  and  told  him,  saying,  "  Joseph  is 
yet  alive,  and  he  is  governor  over  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.  And  Jacob's  heart  fainted,  for  he  believed 
them  not.  And  they  told  him  all  the  words  of  Jo- 
seph, which  he  said  unto  them  :  and  when  he  saw 
the  waggons  which  Joseph  had  sent  to  carry  him, 
the  spirit  of  Jacob  their  father  revived.  And  Israel 
said,  It  is  enough ;  Joseph  my  son  is  yet  alive  :   I 


166  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER. 

will  go  and  see  him  before  I  die."  Do  you  see 
what  it  is  to  be  a  deceiver  ?  Jacob's  sons  had  come 
to  him  once  with  a  lie  :  he  believed  them  then,  and 
his  heart  was  almost  broken  with  his  grief;  bat  he 
had  lonu1  becnm  to  doubt  their  words :  his  heart  was 
worn  with  thinking  how  it  could  have  been  with  his 
beloved  child!  And  now  his  sons  come  to  him  with 
glad  tidings,  with  true  tidings — but  he  cannot  trust 
them — it  made  his  heart  faint  to  hear  them  speak  of 
Joseph  ;  but  when  he  saw  the  waggons  which  Jo- 
seph had  sent,  he  believed  them — he  put  more  trust 
in  the  sight  of  Egypt's  waggons,  than  in  the  words 
of  his  ten  sons.  0  see  what  it  is  to  be  a  deceiver  ! 
"  Let  not  mercy  and  truth  forsake  thee  ;  bind  them 
about  thy  neck ;  write  them  upon  the  table  of  thine 
heart.  So  shalt  thou  find  favor  and  good  under- 
standing in  the  sight  of  God  and  man." 

And  Israel  took  his  journey  with  all  that  he  had, 
to  go  down  into  Egypt  to  his  son  Joseph ;  and  he 
came  to  Beer-sheba,  and  there  he  offered  sacrifices 
unto  the  God  of  his  father  Isaac.  Israel  must 
needs  have  been  in  haste  to  see  his  beloved  Joseph, 
but  he  stops  by  the  way,  and  builds  an  altar,  and 
offers  sacrifices  unto  God.     Jacob  had  taken  two 


J  0  S  K  I'll      AND     HIS     F  A  T  H  E  It .  1G7 

long  journeys  before  :  the  first,  when  he  left  his 
lather's  house  alone  and  slept  upon  the  ground, 
with  a  stone  for  his  pillow  ;  then  it  was  he  saw  the 
Heavenly  ladder,  and  then  that  God  came  first  to 
him,  and  told  him  that  he  was  his  father's  God, 
and  gave  him  the  Blessing  that  he  had  so  loved  and 
longed  for.  Jacob's  second  journey  was,  when  he 
returned  with  all  that  he  had  to  his  father's  house, 
and  when  he  was  afraid  of  his  brother  Esau  ;  it  was 
then  that  he  saw  the  angels  again,  yet  still  he  was 
afraid  ;  and  he  stayed  all  night  alone  in  prayer  ; 
and  then  he  saw  God  face  to  face,  and  God  called 
him  Israel  (a  Prince),  and  God  blessed  him  there. 
And  now  Israel  is  taking  his  third  journey,  down 
into  Egypt  to  see  his  son  ;  and  this  will  be  his  last 
journey  :  when  he  leaves  Egypt,  it  will  be  to  be 
carried  by  the  angels  up  that  shining  ladder  to 
the  presence  of  his  father's  God.  Jacob  has  no 
fear  of  danger  now  ;  Egypt's  mighty  king  has  sent 
for  him,  and  he  has  a  great  company  with  him,  and 
he  is  carried  in  the  waggons  of  Egypt ;  but  he 
thinks  about  the  first  lonely  journey  he  took  to  go 
into  a  strange  country,  and  he  wants  to  put  God  in 
remembrance  of  the  Promise  He  gave  him  then  :  for 


168  JOSEPn     AND     HIS     FATIIEK. 

Jacob  cannot  be  satisfied  without  the  presence  and 
the  blessing;  of  God ;  therefore  he  builds  an  altar  to 
his  father's  God,  for  this  was  what  God  had  called 
Himself  when  He  first  came  to  Jacob  and  blessed 
him.  Did  God  come  again  to  His  servant  Israel  ? 
and  did  he  understand  the  thought  of  His  servant 
Israel's  heart  ?  0  yes  ;  God  has  said,  "  Before  they 
call,  I  will  answer ;  and  while  they  are  yet  speak- 
ing, I  will  hear  :"  and  He  understandeth  our 
thought  afar  off.  God  came  to  His  servant  Israel, 
in  the  night,  as  at  the  first ;  and  He  did  not  call 
him  Israel, — no,  the  aged  Israel  was  thinking  of 
the  time  when  God  first  came  to  him — when  his 
name  was  only  Jacob,  and  when  God  said  to  him, 
"  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in  all  places 
whither  thou  goest :"  this  was  what  Israel  wanted 
to  put  God  in  remembrance  of,  and  God  understood 
the  thought  of  his  heart ;  and  when  He  came  to 
him,  the  first  word  He  said  was,  "  Jacob,  Jacob." 
0  think  how  glad  and  thankful  the  aged  Israel 
must  have  been  now  he  knew  that  he  should  a^ain 
receive  that  precious  Blessing,  that  had  first  come 
down  upon  him  from  his  father's  God  !  "  And 
God  spake  unto  Israel  in  the  visions  of  the  night, 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER.  1G9 

and  said,  Jacob,  Jacob.  And  he  said,  Here  am  I. 
And  God  said  unto  him,  I  am  God,  the  God  of  thy 
father :  fear  not  to  go  down  into  Egypt ;  for  I  will 
there  make  of  thee  a  great  nation.  I  will  go  down 
with  thee  into  Egypt ;  and  I  will  also  surely  bring 
thee  up  again  :  and  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand  upon 
thine  eyes."  When  God  said  to  Jacob,  "  Joseph 
shall  put  his  hand  upon  thine  eyes,"  it  was  a  promise 
that  Joseph  should  stand  by  him  when  he  died— 
when  he  passed  away  from  Earth  to  Heaven — and 
the  hand  of  his  beloved  child  should  be  the  one  to 
close  his  eyes — those  eyes  which  had  seen  his  Sa- 
viour face  to  face,  and  which  will  open  to  behold 
Ilini  again  when  He  stands  at  the  latter  day  upon 
the  earth.  God  takes  such  tender  care  about  the 
death  of  those  whom  He  loves,  that  little  children 
who  loved  the  Lord  have  felt  no  fear  when  they 
came  to  die.  When  Jesus  says,  Fear  not,  all  fear 
is  gone  directly. 

"And  Jacob  rose  up  from  Beer-sheba ;  and  the 
sons  of  Israel  carried  Jacob  their  father,  and  their 
little  ones  and  their  wives,  in  the  waggons  which 
Pharaoh  had  sent  to  carry  him."  And  Israel  sent 
his  son  Judah  before  him,  unto  Joseph.     It  was 


170  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER. 

Judah  who  gave  up  all  for  Benjamin's  sake, — who 
gave  up  his  home,  his  children,  his  father,  to  stay 
and  be  a  bondman,  never  to  be  free  any  more,  that 
Benjamin  might  return  to  his  father.  Must  not 
Israel  love  Judah  ?  and  must  not  Benjamin  love 
him?  and  would  not  Joseph  love  him,  and  welcome 
him  back  to  Egypt  ?  Yes,  Judah  had  the  praise 
of  all  his  brethren :  he  had  given  himself  up  to  re- 
deem his  brother,  and  to  keep  his  promise  to  his 
father :  the  heart  of  his  father  could  safely  trust  in 
him,  therefore  he  sent  him  to  prepare  his  way  be- 
fore him. 

"And  Joseph  made  ready  his  chariot,  and  went 
up  to  meet  Israel  his  father  ;  and  presented  himself 
unto  him  :  and  he  fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept  on  his 
father's  neck  a  good  while.  And  Israel  said  unto 
Joseph,  Now  let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen  thy  face, 
because  thou  art  yet  alive."  But  not  yet  must 
Israel  die !  He  was  willing  to  depart  to  be  with 
his  Saviour :  he  did  not  want  to  see  the  earthly 
greatness  of  his  beloved  child — he  had  seen  his 
face — and  that  was  enough  for  him,  now  that  Jo- 
seph was  alive,  to  worship  God,  and  to  inherit  the 
promise  God  had  given  :  Israel  wanted  not  to  linger 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER.  171 

here.  For  many  a  long  year  his  heart  had  been 
wandering  over  the  earth  in  weary  thoughts  of 
where  his  lost  child  could  be  ;  but  now  Clod  had 
brought  Joseph  back  to  his  arms,  crowned  with  the 
Blessing  of  the  Lord ;  and  Israel's  heart  returned 
unto  its  rest,  and  he  said,  "Now  let  me  die."  But 
he  was  yet  to  live  many  years  by  his  beloved  Jo- 
seph ;  and  his  last  days  were  to  be  his  best  days, 
for  there  was  peace  in  his  house  now,  and  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  his  children.  God  Lad  looked 
upon  his  affliction  and  his  pain,  and  forgiven  all  his 
sin.  God  had  redeemed  Israel  out  of  all  his  trou- 
bles. 

"  Then  Joseph  came  and  told  Pharaoh,  and  said, 
My  father,  and  my  brethren,  and  their  flocks  and 
their  herds,  and  all  that  they  have,  are  come  out  of 
the  land  of  Canaan  ;  and  behold,  they  are  in  the 
land  of  Goshen.  And  Joseph  took  some  of  his 
brethren,  and  presented  them  unto  Pharaoh.  And 
Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph's  brethren,  What  is  your 
occupation?  And  they  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Thy 
servants  are  shepherds,  both  we,  and  also  our 
lathers.  And  Pharaoh  spake  unto  Joseph,  saying, 
The  land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee  :  in  the  best  of 


172  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER. 

the  land  make  thy  father  and  brethren  to  dwell ; 
and  if  thou  knowest  any  men  of  activity  among 
them,  make  them  rulers  over  my  cattle." 

"  And  Joseph  brought  in  Jacob  his  father,  and 
set  him  before  Pharaoh  ;  and  Jacob  blessed  Pha- 
raoh." 

"And  Joseph  placed  his  father  and  his  brethren 
in  the  best  of  the  land  as  Pharaoh  had  commanded. 
And  Joseph  nourished  his  father  and  his  brethren 
and  all  his  father's  household  with  bread.  And 
Israel  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  the  country 
of  Goshen ;  and  they  had  possessions  therein,  and 
grew,  and  multiplied  exceedingly.  And  Jacob 
lived  in  the  land  of  Egypt  seventeen  years  :  so  the 
whole  age  of  Jacob  was  an  hundred  and  forty  and 
seven  years.  And  the  time  drew  nigh  that  Israel 
must  die :  and  he  called  his  son  Joseph,  and  said 
unto  him,  Bury  me  not,  I  pray  thee,  in  Egypt :  but 
I  will  lie  with  my  fathers  ;  and  thou  shalt  carry  me 
out  of  Egypt,  and  bury  me  in  their  burying-place. 
And  Joseph  said,  I  will  do  as  thou  hast  said." 

"  And  it  came  to  pass,  after  these  things,  that  one 
told  Joseph,  Behold,  thy  father  is  sick ;  and  he 
took  with  him  his  two  sous,  Manasseh  and  Ephraim. 


JOSEPU  AND  HIS  FATHER.      173 

And  one  told  Jacob,  and  said,  Behold,  thy  son  Jo- 
seph cometh  unto  thee :  and  Israel  strengthened 
himself,  and  sat  upon  the  bed."  And  Israel  talked 
with  Joseph,  and  told  him  that  his  two  sons  Eph- 
raim  and  Manasseh  should  be  his  sons,  and  should 
have  an  inheritance  and  a  name  in  Israel  among 
the  children  of  Israel.  And  Jacob  talked  with  his 
son  Joseph,  and  he  made  mention  of  two  events  in 
his  past  life  ;  he  spoke  of  nothing  else  that  was 
past,  only  these  two  events.  Can  you  think  what 
they  were?  Yes,  you  can  tell  one,  The  Blessing ! 
when  God  first  appeared  to  him,  the  night  after  he 
left  his  father's  house.  The  other  was  the  death  of 
Rachel,  his  beloved  wife,  Joseph's  mother.  He  did 
not  speak  of  the  loss  of  Joseph,  for  God  had  re- 
stored him  to  his  father  again.  And  Joseph  sat 
before  his  father,  and  his  two  sons,  Manasseh  and 
Ephraim,  stood  between  his  knees.  Now  the  eyes 
of  Israel  were  dim  with  age,  so  that  he  could  not 
sec  :  and  he  said  to  Joseph,  Who  are  these  ?  And 
Joseph  said  unto  his  father,  They  are  my  sons, 
whom  God  hath  given  me  in  this  place.  And  his 
father  said,  Bring  them  unto  me,  and  I  will  bless 
them:     And  Joseph  brought  them   near  unto  his 


174  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER. 

father ;  and  his  father  kissed  them,  and  embraced 
them.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  I  had  not 
thought  to  see  thy  face ;  and,  lo,  God  hath  showed 
me  also  thy  seed.  And  Israel  stretched  out  his 
right  hand,  and  laid  it  upon  Ephraim's  head,  and 
his  left  hand  upon  Manasseh's  head.  "And  Israel 
blessed  Joseph,  and  said,  God,  before  whom  my 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  did  walk,  the  God 
which  fed  me  all  my  life  long  unto  this  day,  the 
Angel  which  redeemed  me  from  all  evil,  bless  the 
lads ;  and  let  my  name  be  named  on  them,  and  the 
name  of  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  ;  and  let 
them  grow  into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth.  And  he  blessed  them  that  day  ;  saying,  In 
thee  shall  Israel  bless,  saying,  God  make  thee  as 
Ephraim  and  as  Manasseh.  And  Israel  said  unto 
Joseph,  Behold,  I  die  ;  but  God  shall  be  with  you, 
and  bring  you  again  unto  the  land  of  your  fathers. 
Moreover,  I  have  given  to  thee  one  portion  above 
thy  brethren,  which  I  took  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
Amorite  with  my  sword  and  with  my  bow." 

And  Jacob  called  his  sons  together,  and  told 
them  what  should  befal  them  in  days  to  come  :  for 
Jacob  was  one  of  the  holy  prophets,  to  whom  God 


JOSEPH  AND  HIS  FATHER.      175 

gave  knowledge  to  foretell  things  to  come  :  and 
Israel  blessed  his  sons,  each  one  according  to  his 
blessing  ■  but  it  was  a  fearful  thing  for  sons  to  hear 
from  a  dying  father  words  of  holy  displeasure,  such 
as  were  some  he  spoke.  But  to  Judah  he  said, 
"  Thou  art  he  whom  thy  brethren  shall  praise  ;  thy 
hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies :  thy 
father's  children  shall  bow  down  before  thee.  Ju- 
dah is  a  lion's  whelp  ;  from  the  prey,  my  son,  thou 
art  gone  up,  he  stooped  down,  he  couched  as  a  lion, 
and  as  an  old  lion  ;  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ?  The 
sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver 
from  between  his  feet,  until  Siiiloh  come,  and  unto 
him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be  :  binding 
his  foal  unto  the  vine,  and  his  ass's  colt  unto  the 
choice  vine,  he  washed  his  garments  in  wine,  and 
his  clothes  in  the  blood  of  grapes." — The  descend- 
ants of  Judah  were  kings  in  the  land  of  Israel,  till 
Shiloh  came.  Shiloh  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
King  of  kings  :  He  was  the  Son  and  Heir  of  Judah's 
royal  line:  He  is  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  : 
He  is  the  true,  the  choice  Vine.  And  it  was  He 
who  came  riding  on  a  colt,  the  foal  of  an  ass,  lowly 
and  having  salvation. 


176  J  0  S  E  P  PI     AND     II  I  S     FATHER. 

While  Jacob  was  in  the  midst  of  blessing  his 
sons,  and  they  all  stood  around  his  bed,  he  stopped, 
and  looking  upward  to  his  God,  he  said,  "  I  have 
waited  for  Thy  Salvation,  0  Lord  !"  When  Ja- 
cob was  a  young  man  he  had  found  it  hard  to  wait  : 
he  was  impatient  then,  and  could  not  wait  for  God: 
but  the  Lord  had  taught  him,  and  lie  had  learned 
the  blessed  lesson,  and  now  he  could  look  up  to  his 
Heavenly  Father,  his  Heavenly  Teacher,  and  say, 
"  I  have  waited  for  Thy  salvation,  0  Lord  !"  And 
now  he  was  going  where  no  more  lessons  are 
needed,  for  his  Saviour  would  present  him  faultless 
before  the  presence  of  His  Heavenly  Father's  glory, 
with  exceeding  joy.  Will  you  pray  that  God  may 
teach  you  patience  ?  It  is  a  blessed  lesson  for  a 
little  child,  or  for  any  one  to  learn  ;  for  it  is  to 
learn  to  be  like  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  never  spoke 
or  acted  impatiently.  The  Lord  God  is  called  The 
God  of  Patience.  Ask  of  Him  to  teach  you  pa- 
tience, and  try  in  every  thing  to  learn  it,  that  you 
may  be  the  child  of  God,  following  after  love,  pa- 
tience, meekness. 

And  Israel  blessed  Joseph,  and  said,  "  Joseph  is 
a  fruitful  bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well, 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER.  177 

whose  branches  run  over  the  wall.  The  archers 
have  sorely  grieved  him  and  shot  at  him,  and  hated 
him  ;  but  his  bow  abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms 
of  his  hands  were  made  strong  by  the  hands  of  the 
mighty  God  of  Jacob  (from  thence  is  the  Shepherd, 
the  Stone  of  Israel) :  By  the  God  of  thy  fathers, 
who  shall  help  thee  ;  and  by  the  Almighty,  who 
shall  bless  thee  with  blessings  of  Heaven  above,  and 
blessings  of  the  deep  that  lieth  under.  The  bless- 
ings of  thy  father  have  prevailed  above  the  bless- 
ings of  my  progenitors,  unto  the  utmost  bound  of 
the  everlasting  hills :  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of 
Joseph,  and  on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that 
was  separate  from  his  brethren."  It  was  thus  that 
his  father  blessed  him. 

"  And  when  Jacob  had  made  an  end  of  command- 
ing his  sons,  he  departed  in  peace.  And  when  Jo- 
seph saw  that  his  father  was  dead,  he  fell  upon  his 
father's  face,  and  wept  upon  him,  and  kissed  him. 
And  Joseph  commanded  his  servants  the  physicians 
to  embalm  his  father:  and  the  physicians  embalmed 
Israel.  And  the  Egyptians  mourned  for  Israel 
seventy  days.  And  when  the  days  of  his  mourning 
were  past,  Joseph  spake  unto  the  house  of  Pharaoh, 

12 


178      JOSEPH  AND  HIS  FATHER. 

saying,  If  now  I  have  found  grace  in  your  eyes, 
speak,  I  pray  you,  in  the  ears  of  Pharaoh,  saying, 
My  father  made  me  swear,  saying,  Lo,  I  die  :  in  my 
grave  which  I  have  digged  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
there  shalt  thou  bury  me.  Now  therefore  let  me 
go  up,  I  pray  thee,  and  bury  my  father,  and  I  will 
come  again.  And  Pharaoh  said,  Go  up  and  bury 
thy  father,  according  as  he  made  thee  swear.  And 
Joseph  went  up  to  bury  his  father :  and  with  him 
went  up  all  the  servants  of  Pharaoh,  the  elders  of 
his  house,  and  all  the  elders  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  all  the  house  of  Joseph,  and  his  brethren,  and 
his  father's  house.  And  there  went  up  with  him 
both  chariots  and  horsemen,  and  it  was  a  very  great 
company."  And  they  came  beyond  the  river  Jor- 
dan, which  is  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  there  they 
mourned  with  a  great  and  very  sore  lamentation. 
"And  when  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  saw  the 
mourning,  they  said,  This  is  a  grievous  mourning 
to  the  Egyptians.  And  his  sons  did  unto  him  ac- 
cording as  he  commanded  them.  And  Joseph  re- 
turned into  Egypt,  and  all  that  went  up  with  him, 
after  he  had  buried  his  father." 

"  And  when   Joseph's   brethren  saw  that  their 


JOSEPH  AND  HIS  FATHER.      179 

father  was  dead,  they  said,  Joseph  will  peradventure 
hate  us,  and  will  certainly  requite  us  all  the  evil  which 
Ave  did  unto  him.  And  they  sent  a  messenger  unto 
Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  did  command  before  he 
died,  saying,  So  shall  ye  say  unto  Joseph,  Forgive 
I  pray  thee  now  the  trespass  of  thy  brethren,  and 
their  sin  ;  for  they  did  unto  thee  evil.  And  now, 
we  pray  thee,  forgive  the  trespass  of  the  servants 
of  the  God  of  thy  father.  And  Joseph  wept  when 
they  spake  unto  him.  And  his  brethren  also  went 
and  fell  down  before  his  face;  and  they  said,  Be- 
hold, we  be  thy  servants.  And  Joseph  said  unto 
them,  Fear  not :  for  am  I  in  the  place  of  God  ? 
But  as  for  you,  ye  thought  evil  against  me ;  but 
God  meant  it  unto  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is 
this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive.  Now,  there- 
fore, fear  ye  not :  I  will  nourish  you  and  your  little 
ones.  And  he  comforted  them,  and  spake  kindly 
unto  them.11 

Joseph's  brothers  were  afraid :  they  thought  it 
was  only  for  his  father's  sake  that  Joseph  had 
shown  them  mercy — and  he  was  dead :  they  did 
not  know  that  it  was  for  the  love  of  God  that  Jo- 
seph had  so  freely  forgiven — and  God  liveth  and 


180      JOSEPH  AND  HIS  FATHER. 

abideth  for  ever :  therefore  that  which  made  Jo- 
seph forgive  them  at  first,  would  keep  his  forgive- 
ness as  warm  as  ever,  though  his  blessed  father  was 
laid  to  sleep  the  sleep  of  death,  far  away  in  Mamre's 
cave.  When  we  really  feel  our  sin,  we  do  not  think 
it  can  be  easily  forgiven.  They  sent  to  Joseph  a 
message  from  his  father — that  his  father,  now  in 
Heaven,  prayed  him  to  forgive  his  brethren  :  and 
Joseph  wept.  Joseph  wept — but  he  wiped  away 
their  tears.  They  called  ..themselves  the  servants 
of  the  God  of  Joseph's  father.  Their  hearts  were 
changed  now,  they  could  not  have  said  that,  when 
they  sold  Joseph  for  a  slave.  Joseph  had  always 
loved  that  Great  and  Holy  Name,  the  Name  of  God. 
When  he  had  nothing  else  to  call  his  own,  that 
Name  was  his  treasure.  When  he  was  a  servant, 
he  loved  and  honored  it.  When  he  was  a  prisoner, 
he  directed  his  fellow-prisoners  to  God  in  their  dis- 
tress. When  he  stood  before  the  king,  just  come 
from  the  dismal  dungeon,  he  gave  all  the  honor 
and  glory  to  God.  When  he  spoke  as  a  stranger 
to  his  cruel  brethren,  he  could  not  forget  the  Name 
of  his  God  :  "  I  fear  God,"  he  said.  When  he  had 
made  himself  known  unto  them,  it  was  with  the  Name 


JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER.  181 

of  God  he  comforted  them  under  their  fear  and  dis- 
tress. When  ho  sent  a  message  to  his  father,  it 
was  to  tell  him  what  God  had  done.  When  his 
father  talked  to  him  of  his  children,  Joseph  told 
him  they  were  the  children  God  had  given  him. 
And  now  his  brothers  come  and  plead  before  him 
in  the  Name  of  God,  no  wonder  they  prevail  above 
all  they  asked  and  thought.  The  heathen  steward 
of  Joseph's  house  had  cast  away  his  idols,  for  his 
master's  God,  and  had  learned  to  speak  peace  in 
that  Holy  Name  :  and  now  Joseph's  brethren  have 
learned  to  love  that  blessed  Name  and  service  also : 
they  call  themselves  "  the  servants  of  the  God  of 
thy  father."  Joseph  had  hearkened  to  God's  com- 
mandments, and  now  his  "peace  was  as  a  river,  and 
his  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea." 

"  And  Joseph  dwelt  in  Egypt,  he  and  his  father's 
house  :  and  Joseph  lived  an  hundred  and  ten 
years :"  he  lived  to  see  the  children  of  his  child- 
ren's children,  even  three  generations. 

"  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  die  ;  and 
God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  bring  you  out  of  this 
land,  unto  the  land  which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  to 
Isaac,  and  to  Jacob.     God  will  surely  visit  you, 


182  JOSEPH     AND     HIS     FATHER. 

and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  from  hence.  So 
Joseph  died,  and  they  embalmed  him,  and  put  him 
into  a  coffin  in  Egypt."  He  whom  his  brethren 
cast  out,  and  sold  away  out  of  the  land  of  Canaan 
when  he  was  a  child,  was  the  only  one  whom  the 
children  of  Israel  carried  with  them  back  into  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  laid  him  to  rest  among  them 
there,  till  the  Resurrection  of  the  Just ! 

It  is  good  that  a  man  should  both  hope  and  quietly 
wait  for  the  salvation  of  the  Lord. — Lamentations, 
iii.  26. 

The  God  of  Israel  is  He  that  giveth  strength  and 
•power  unto  His  people.  Blessed  be  God  ! — Psalm 
lxviii.  35. 

THE    END. 


